The Real Estate Institute of Victoria has launched a campaign against what it deems to be onerous and unnecessary property market restrictions.
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The organisation wants a decision to ban one-on-one property inspections under current Victorian Government COVID-19 regulations overturned.
Bendigo division chairman and DCK Real Estate director Matt Bowles said the industry was gearing up for what would normally be a busy spring, but agents were hamstrung by the ongoing restrictions that prevent third parties from entering properties to take the necessary photos, measurements or video to accompany sales campaigns.
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"The crazy thing is, I can walk into a coffee shop with a potential buyer and order a takeaway coffee, but we cannot walk into a property next door that might be for sale," he said.
REIV chief executive officer Gil King said Victorians are being denied their basic right to rent, buy and sell a home.
"The financial and emotional stress of losing deposits, defaulting on contracts and not being able to secure appropriate living arrangements is leaving families in distress and endangering lives."
Mr Bowles said his agency had a backlog of about 20 properties it was preparing to launch onto the market, but had only been able to get drone images and external photos, due to the current ban on entering occupied properties in Victoria.
"We do need those photos and increasingly those floor plans to properly promote homes for sale and to showcase properties to their full potential."
Tweed Sutherland First National director Darryn O'Keefe said Bendigo's current housing shortage was being exacerbated by the restrictions.
"We need to be able to do appraisals, with respect, while being COVID-safe."
He said one-on-one inspections, QR codes, no general open for inspections and a registration system were among the conditions that had allowed at least a trickle of business to occur during previous lockdowns,
Other real estate agencies spoken to by the Bendigo Advertiser have confirmed a backlog of vendors wanting to launch into the spring selling season, but who were being held back by the strict regulations.
REIV president Leah Calnan said when Victorians buy, sell or rent a property, they are making some of the most significant financial decisions of their lives.
"In-person inspection is a fundamental aspect of property transaction due diligence," she said.
"Without it, buyers and renters are flying blind, and sellers and rental providers aren't able to position their asset at its best."
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