Invest in decontamination, property owners urged

PROPERTY owners risk undervaluing their premises if they do not invest in decontamination and pest control services, an expert has said.

As the economy gears for reopening to accommodate full business activity after months of closure due the Covid-19 lockdown, business and industrial premises have to be constantly fumigated as a means to combat the spread of the virus.

Leading specialists in property management say the long closure of office space, homes and industries meant that there was a need to fully apply fumigation, pest control and household hygiene provisions.

Disinfecting business premises, homes and surroundings was one of the recommended steps to stop the spread of the virus as put advised by the World Health Organisation.

Given the laxity and rush to open business, few owners adhered to the call to fumigate premises.

Experts say there is evident negligence of property care on some buildings in major cities, a situation that could lead to loss of value on the real estate market.

One of the country’s emerging fumigation services company, Pram Maonga Enterprises, has embarked on a community awareness drive to encourage property owners in the home, business and industrial sectors to invest in property fumigation.

The company’s managing director Mr Paul Banda said the Covid-19 period had shown that there was a need for communities to constantly look for sanitisation and fumigation.

The company, whose services span the greater part of Matabeleland north, offers fumigation, sanitisation and pest management.

Mr Banda said it was high time that companies and in particular councils forge relationships with service providers towards sustainable containment of diseases and pest control.

“It is known that areas where people live have to be fumigated to control not only for pests but hygiene as well. That is why as an industry, in particular at Pram Maonga Enterprises, we are calling upon councils to make meaningful synergies with our industry. Every premise has to be fumigated,” he said.

“Gone are the days when councils and individual households have to do it alone. Covid-19 has taught everyone in business to work hand in glove in order to realise profit and growth,” said Mr Banda.

He said fumigation for the protection for business and home premises hinged also on well-managed pest management programmes.

Of late, there are companies that have received backlash from the public for their failure to properly fumigate premises, raising alarm for disease recurrence.

“Properties have to be fumigated well by professionals who are best in the trade.”

With companies having closed for months, Mr Banda said property owners should put a high degree of cleanliness by way of destroying pest infestation.

“Pests in particular, termites are a huge problem for homeowners and businesses. It is disappointing to note that most people ignore the risk posed by termites and only realise when it is too late.

“It is, therefore, prudent for people to be able to identify signs of termite infestation and when to raise the red flag,” he said.

The Estates Agents Council of Zimbabwe (EACZ) has for some time advised on the benefits of properties to be maintained at high standard.

Mr Kwanele Maphosa, a real estate agent and business industrial consultant based in Bulawayo, said since most properties were closed for a long period, they is need to seek the services of fumigators and pest management or risk losing value.

“For the purposes of stopping the spread of Covid-19 and other infections, of course, properties have to be fumigated. In order to maintain high standards and value for the build areas, due care like pest management and essential renovations have to take place,” said Mr Maphosa.

If property owners do not take heed, long periods of shutdown without maintaining their premises will have an effect on real estate value.

“If unchecked, Covid-19 effects on properties might see some being rated low compared to the start of the lockdown. It is because of lack of maintenance and most of the time neglect. So, we urge property owners to be on the lookout for such matters,” he said.

During the pandemic induced lockdown that started from March, the Confederation of Zimbabwe Industries (CZI) reported in its survey “Tracking the business and economic impact of Covid-19 on the productive sector in Zimbabwe”, that companies in personal protective equipment and services and like industries in the pharmaceutical sector thrived on good ground.

The high demand and expansion of the local market for such chemical and health related services according to CZI, positioned the sector as the least that was affected by capacity utilisation.

It is the view of the CZI that this sector was counted as a ‘winner’ and was to remain like that for some time even after the coronavirus had been contained.-herald