Author: Nona Bowkis
Published: November 23, 2020
Reading time: 2 minutes
This article is 4 years old.
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Fortunately for the motor trade, the Scottish Government took a practical view to car sales during the period for all areas which found themselves in Level 4 restrictions.
While indoor showrooms had to close, “outdoor car lots” were specifically allowed to stay open. This meant any car dealership in the highest restriction level could still trade from their premises if they had an outdoor area.
In addition, our friends at Car Dealer magazine were able to get confirmation from the Scottish Government that it would be OK for paperwork on deals made on an outside forecourt to be signed inside an otherwise closed showroom. We, of course, have been very vocal about English dealers being OK to let customers in to sign off paperwork, as long as the cars are clearly sectioned off, rather than having to put up temporary gazebos and the like in a car park. Sometimes, the law has unintended consequences, and we have to apply a common sense approach, especially when these particular laws have been rushed through. Assuming the English Government share the same level of common sense as those in charge north of the border, we still see no issue with paperwork being completed indoors, provided there are no customers wandering around looking at cars in an indoor showroom.
