Essential Offices Must Comply with New Sanitary Procedures

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All businesses in the state of MA (including real estate!) must develop a written control plan outlining how its workplace will comply with the mandatory safety standards for operation in the COVID-19. Even if your office is already open to agents or agents, you have to comply with these new standards by May 25th.  One excellent tool they provided is a COVID-19 Control Plan Checklist for all Offices.  This outlines your adherence to the social distancing, hygiene protocols, staffing operations and cleaning and disinfecting protocols.   If you chose to open your office, here is a sign you should place on the entry door that is visible to agents, employees and visitors.  Here is a flyer for agents and clients about the basics of your policies.  Here is a flyer you should post on the interior of your office to remind agents to sanitize safely.

PPE and Sanitation Supplies:   You must: require masks and face-coverings for all employees/agents, provide hand-washing supplies and capabilities and sanitize high touch areas, such as workstations, equipment, screens, doorknobs, restrooms throughout office.  Additional mandatory workplace safety standards can be found here.  Also, the state has provided an excel spreadsheet of vendors that have hygienic and protective supplies available for sale.

Please note: reopening your office or offering public open houses may be allowed, but it is OPTIONAL – it’s the broker’s decision to make based on a cost and risk analysis. Does it serve your business and your clients better to re-open during stage 1?  Does your seller benefit from a public open house with no advanced knowledge of who or how many will show up?  Are you prepared to keep track of the number of people allowed inside a building (limit to 10), keeping them a 6′ distance from each other, intact face coverings, no touch showings and the before and after sanitation procedures?  That’s a lot for a public open house when the market is tight, so only do so with your broker’s plan in place, seller’s clear consent and a pressing need to do so.  Given that the staff is working well from home and we do not wish to allocate resources to cleaning and distancing but prefer to work for you 100% of the time from home.  We will be keeping our offices closed for the foreseeable time, and continue to monitor the situation.  Hopefully you’ve felt unrestricted access (other than having toe leave a voicemail on occasion).  Like you, we’ve gotten the hang of this remote work thing!  If you ever feel disconnected, call or text Sandy’s cell during normal business hours 413-822-2544 or leave a message at the office for an immediate call back.