Almost half – 42 per cent – of UK adults believe that house viewings should not be allowed in person during lockdown, according to a YouGov poll.

Of the 2,889 adults asked, 24 per cent said they should be allowed for people within the local area, and 18 per cent that they should be allowed for anyone. A further 16 per cent do not know.

Respondents aged 65 and over prove to be the most hesitant about allowing house viewings in person, with just 12 per cent of this cohort saying viewings should be open for everyone compared to 21 per cent in the 25 to 49 range, and 48 per cent of the 65 years and over group wanting to see a ban for everyone.

By comparison, 39 per cent of those aged 25 to 49 want to see a stop put to personal viewings completely.

Furthermore, there is little discernible difference across party lines: 15 per cent of Labour voters want viewings open for all compared to 19 per cent of Conservative voters and 45 per cent of Labour voters want to see them banned – here, 44 per cent of Conservative voters agree.