The housing market will stay open during England’s second lockdown, due to end on 2 December this year, housing minister Robert Jenrick has confirmed.

In a series of posts made on Twitter, in which Jenrick also stated that the FCA would be publishing further details on a mortgage payment holiday extension later today, he revealed that people would still be able to move house within the next four weeks.

“The housing market will remain open throughout this period. Everyone should continue to play their part in reducing the spread of the virus by following the current guidance,” he said.

Additionally, “Tradespeople like [sic] electricians, plumbers, repairers of domestic appliances can enter your home. They will need to follow social distancing guidance that has already been published,” Jenrick said, adding that hardware shops will remain open, too.

Private Finance mortgage consultant Chris Sykes says: “The question remains how many people are going to be out and about viewing property given the circumstances?

“Ultimately, this is likely to entrench the current trends for those looking to move to houses with more space, both outdoors and to work remotely, and means areas outside major cities are likely to see higher demand than pre-Covid.

He also believes the market will see further restrictions on borrowing. “A second lockdown and the corresponding economic repercussions are exactly why mortgage lenders have been being cautious of late.

“We expect to see further restrictions on borrowing certainly for those with deposits smaller than 20 per cent, with these products almost certainly becoming even harder to find, and those that are available will charging even higher rates to account for the risk,” he says.

Meanwhile, Imla executive director Kate Davies says that with upcoming end of the Stamp Duty holiday and the Help to Buy scheme along with the mortgage holiday extension already creating operational stress, “closing the housing market at this time would have only added to this pressure on the sector by creating yet another backlog of demand once lockdown ends.”

Coreco managing director Andrew Montlake comments: “The second lockdown may well prove to be more challenging from a well-being perspective than the first, as for some of us the novelty of working from home has long worn off, and the weather and early darkness do not help matters. On top of this we have all been working non-stop in an incredibly difficult market without the normal holidays.

“Hopefully, the majority of people will follow the guidelines and we will be out of lockdown for Christmas where we can all take a well-earned break before the inevitable craziness of next year unfolds. March is going to be a tense, busy time if the Stamp Duty holiday is not extended or tapered.

“I have seen social media erupt with questions from buyers and sellers alike as to what will happen with their mortgage or move now so inevitably broker phones will be busy with those who need reassurance.

“For now, though, it is business as usual as much as possible. Our clients need us.

“We are lucky that ours is a job we can still do effectively remotely and there are many positives we can take from these experiences which is where we must focus.

“We must continue to do the basics right, look after our clients and introducers; people will remember how we helped or made them feel at this time more than any other.”

And MCI Mortgage Club head Melanie Spencer opines: “Thankfully, this second lockdown is unlikely to be as devasting than the first.

“But there will be shrinkage of customers who work in affected sectors such as leisure, retail and hospitality as lenders will naturally adjust their risk appetites. Therefore, for those fortunate not to be overly affected, they will still have the opportunity to take advantage of the stamp duty holiday – but it will create further divides between the haves and have-nots.

“Finally, given the unknown quantities of the EU / UK trade agreement and the potential impact to the UK consumer in 2021 on affordability as duty on imported goods is likely to rise, we might just see the final push for property before we dive into even further uncertainty.”