Coronavirus Property Auction & Inspection Rules for Victoria | June Update

Read our updated article for October 2020 and the easing of Stage 4 restrictions by clicking here.

As of June 1, open for inspections and auctions resume a semblance of ‘normal’ in Victoria. There’ll still be restrictions on the number of people that can be in attendance, but the return to being there, in person, is a step in the right direction for real estate. The atmosphere at an auction – the tension and excitement in the air – just doesn’t translate to the online environment. Or at least, that’s been our experience over the past six weeks. So, we’re excited about the shifts, and the opportunity to be face-to-face again, with you.

So, here’s a breakdown of how Victorian open for Inspections and auctions will work for the moment:

• As of June 1, auctions and inspections will be allowed to have up to 20 attendees.
• This number doesn’t include the people conducting the activity. The VIC government site states that that number should be the ‘minimum number reasonably required to facilitate’, but realestate.com states a maximum of 10.
• If you’re attending you’ll be required to leave your name and contact information with the agent.
• Strict social distancing and hygiene practises will also remain.

Of course, as soon as things change again we’ll send out that new information.

Our biggest question, which we presume will also be yours, is: who gets to attend?

Open inspections stay fairly straightforward. Agents will manage large attendances by showing people through in groups.

But auctions might be harder to control in terms of numbers. Because this change is still so new, there doesn’t seem to be any protocol in place yet. But, agents we work with have suggested that a registration process might be part of what’s ahead. Certainly, agents will be wanting people with buying interest in attendance, and we think it’s highly likely they’ll prioritise that, as opposed to a first come first served arrangement. We expect online platforms will run concurrently so that people can also bid remotely.

For our clients – if a property you’re interested in is going to auction, we’ll prepare you with information from the agent about your specific auction conditions. We expect that the number of auctions will really start to pick up now with this news, and hopefully, restrictions will ease even further before any issues about attendance numbers arise.