The data revealed that there has been a spike in demand for viral deep clean services from house-sellers, and Fantastic Services co-founder, Rune Sovndahl, believes the precautionary measure will soon be widely adopted across the whole property market.
Rune said: “Now more than ever, people are treating their home as their protective bubble and this is even more true when people move into a new home that had a different family living in it only days before. Our customers want to know we can get to them quickly and carry out the anti-viral deep clean professionally so that sellers can reassure buyers that the property is safe to move into. We started this service at the beginning of lockdown and it’s now in huge demand.”
The trend has also been observed by estate agents.
Christian Harper, of estate agent Harper Finn, stated: “Sellers have always been a mixed bunch when it comes to preparing their house for a new buyer. Some leave bits and pieces all over the place and don’t even run a Hoover over it, others make it spotless and leave a bottle of champagne in the fridge.
“Now it’s gone from being a question of etiquette to a requirement – all of the recent movers-in we’ve had have asked if the house is properly clean, bacteria wipes used on doorknobs and surfaces and so on. They haven’t quite asked for a lawyer to make sure that’s done but they have come close.”
Chris Alexander, Branch Manager at Aspire Estate Agents, added: “In the last week we’ve had safety concerns from buyers who won’t move into a new property until they know that it’s been properly cleaned. This issue obviously isn’t going away and if you’re looking for a quick sale, it’s really essential that regular deep cleans are being done. I can see it becoming part of the buying and selling chain for the rest of the year.”
Simon Gerrard, PPNEA, managing director of Martyn Gerrard state Agents and former President of The National Association of Estate Agents PropertyMark, also agreed that new buyers will not want to live in a home that has not been virally cleaned - but believes that the onus will be on them to arrange the service.
Simon said: “When you are given the keys to a new house, you change the locks as a matter of security. For the same reasons of security, I see no reason, following the Covid-19 crisis, why anyone wouldn’t be going for a deep clean before they move in unless the house they are buying is a new-build. It would be silly not to. Moving forward, I don’t think anyone will be looking to clean it themselves.”
