How has COVID-19 changed consumer rights?

2 Jul 2020

The UK is still very much feeling the long-lasting effects of Covid-19. The housing market, tourism and trade industry were all affected differently.

Though the UK is now starting to slowly ease lockdown measures, the country is still very much feeling the long-lasting effects of COVID-19 Engaged couples are still awaiting revised wedding dates, holiday refunds are still pending and loved ones are still limited in the capacity they can see each other.Luckily, with most installations and trade services being outdoors based, the home improvement industry hasn’t been as drastically affected as some others. Even still, we thought it worth running through some of the ways COVID-19 has changed consumer rights. Such changes might be of use to you the next time a client or customer queries you or your company.

The UK housing market in the wake of COVID-19

One of the biggest questions homeowners were left contemplating was how the value of their household would be impacted while the economy was at a standstill. Obviously, this is something that can affect consumer spending, but now we have much better idea. And while it looked pretty bleak initially, a recent report published by World Property Journal suggests that the “The number of new prospective buyers continues to increase,” since lockdown’s lifting.What does this mean? That homeowners should be renovating their homes with the intention to increase value and sell as per usual – a relief for tradesmen everywhere. Because of this, consumer rights when it comes to home improvement has returned to normal in the UK. Government legislations like the Consumer Protection Act 1987 remains in place.

Tourism, events and deliveries see steady recovery

Outside of strict home improvement endeavours, the COVID-19 lockdown saw tourism halt to a standstill. Free movement in the UK was extremely limited, and still is in Wales and Scotland, but National Trust sites all over the country continue to open. In terms of abroad holidays, however, as mentioned in the intro holidaymakers are still struggling to reclaim their full refunds as most holidays have been cancelled for this summer. The good news is that consumer protection rights for tourism never changed, and third-party authorities like Which? offer great advice on how to enforce them with your travel.Deliveries unsurprisingly skyrocketed during lockdown, with grocery services, game retailers and takeaways all upping their game. Events like weddings and funerals, on the other hand, were drastically affected but options for rescheduling weddings were quick to be offered.

The CPA: Consumer affair gurus

If you’re a tradesmen looking to offer customers absolute peace of mind, encouraging homeowners to improve their household as lockdown continues to ease, consider quality products from The CPA. Join our network of highly skilled tradesmen by offering benefits like Deposit Protection and Insurance Backed Guarantees – contact us online or on 01462 850064.