U.S. Department of Homeland Security Deems "Residential and Commercial Real Estate" as Essential
LOUISIANA REALTORS • March 28, 2020
Since the issuance of Governor Edwards’ stay at home order, the Department of Homeland Security’s Cyber Security and Infrastructure (CISA) Agency guidance has been updated to include residential and commercial real estate and settlement services as essential.
RESIDENTIAL/SHELTER FACILITIES AND SERVICES
- Workers in dependent care services, in support of workers in other essential products and services.
- Workers who support food, shelter, and social services, and other necessities of life for needy groups and individuals, including in-need populations and COVID-19 responders (including travelling medical staff).
- Workers in animal shelters.
- Workers responsible for the leasing of residential properties to provide individuals and families with ready access to available housing.
- Workers responsible for handling property management, maintenance, and related service calls who can coordinate the response to emergency “at-home” situations requiring immediate attention, as well as facilitate the reception of deliveries, mail, and other necessary services.
- Workers performing housing construction-related activities to ensure additional units can be made available to combat the nation’s existing housing supply shortage.
- Workers performing services in support of the elderly and disabled populations who coordinate a variety of services, including health care appointments and activities of daily living.
- Workers supporting the construction of housing, including those supporting government functions related to the building and development process, such as inspections, permitting and plan review services that can be modified to protect the public health, but fundamentally should continue and serve the construction of housing (e.g., allow qualified private third-party inspections in case of government shutdown).
We are analyzing what this change will mean for real estate professionals in Louisiana considering how Governor Edwards’ stay at home order was styled. As of March 29th, Louisiana REALTORS® recommends you continue to operate your business with social distancing and gathering size limitations as previously counseled.
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By: Eric Landry, Breazeale Sachse & Wilson, L.L.P. Louisiana REALTORS® Legal Counsel Below are highlights of the changes to mandatory forms effective January 1, 2026. Louisiana Residential Agreement to Buy or Sell: Specific Changes Overall, several changes were made to re-order the agreement in an effort to have the agreement more closely track the sequence of events in a typical transaction. This resulted in relocation of several sections and corresponding changes to line number references in various places throughout the agreement.
