You want work performed in your home but you want to prevent the spread of coronavirus. You're not the only one! Tradespeople don't want to catch coronavirus from customers either.
The suggestions below will minimise the risk of spreading coronavirus while tradespeople work in your home.
1 - Agree as much as you can over the phone or by email rather than in person.
Hold a video call (Facebook messenger, Skype, WassApp, FaceTime) - flip the camera on your phone so that you can walk around your house showing what work needs doing, where. WhatsApp or just emails are great for sharing photos.
Discuss the procedure for carrying out the work, before letting the person into your home. Why not ask your tradesperson to phone you from their van the minute they arrive? You can then agree how they can enter your property safely. Explain the route into your house and to where the work needs doing.
Businesses can also use this technology to update you about work as it is completed – this means you don’t need to stand together in close proximity.
2 – Give them space! Create a safe environment
The ideal environment is an unoccupied site or working outside.
Do you have to be present while the work is carried out?
If you are nervous leaving a tradesperson in your home, remove precious valuables before work commences. If you plan to be elsewhere while the work is completed, make sure that your chosen tradesperson is also happy with this arrangement.
Put up a sign! Even a handwritten note or two reminds workers (and you!) to be vigilant.
Open windows and doors to allow good ventilation.
Try not to touch objects they have touched. It sounds mean, but don't offer tradespeople tea and biscuits! They're used to this now and bring a flask and packed lunch if they need it!
Think about break areas and break times – can they be set up to allow for social distancing to occur to minimise contact during these times? Do you have any camping chairs or stools that you won’t need for the duration of the work or ask your tradesperson to take breaks in their van.
Think about comfort breaks – leave antibacterial wipes and an open waste bin in your bathroom in case your tradesperson needs to use the toilet. Whenever you use the toilet, wipe down anything that someone else might have touched before you start. Wipe surfaces again with antibacterial wipes after you have finished.
Try to hold face-to-face discussions outdoors, ideally side-by-side not face-to-face. You should both wear masks.
3 - How badly do you need the work?
If you or someone in your home is vulnerable – consider if you actually need work completed now. What would be the implications of leaving the work until things are safer?
4 – Check each day - is anyone showing symptoms of coronavirus?
Neither you nor the service provider (nor a member of any of your households) should display these symptoms:
- a high temperature or persistent cough
- temporary loss of taste
5 - Clean all surfaces and clear away waste each day.
Don’t touch paperwork or move items that have been touched by tradespeople. Explain at the outset that you expect them to tidy away tools and materials at the end of each day. A good tradesperson should be doing this anyway!
'Walk' the route your tradesperson will have taken, and wipe any surfaces they may have touched (including door handles - on both sides of the door) with a sterilised wipe.
6. Try to agree for BACS payment over the internet rather than using cash or cheque.
7. Be sympathetic to your tradesperson!
Due to the pandemic, tradespeople are finding it hard to source certain materials (to date these have included wood, paint and plaster). Some businesses aren’t operating at their usual capacity to protect their staff or to home-school children. There may be reasons why the whole job can’t be completed as usual. Ask your tradesperson to set your expectations for the timescales of the entire job.