Agent sorry for “crass” flyer calling Covid “blessing in disguise”

An estate agency has issued an abject apology for calling the Covid pandemic “a blessing in disguise.”

There was a huge social media and local press backlash against the agency after it sent leaflets to residents in the Chorlton and Old Trafford areas of Manchester yesterday morning.

Manchester media say the leaflets - from the JP & Brimelow estate agency - suggest the property market has “actually fared very well this year” despite the pandemic.

The leaflets say Coronavirus has brought “so much uncertainty, so much worry about jobs and of course concern over health.”

However they also state that house prices across parts of Greater Manchester have increased in the last year - “all the more remarkable how the property market has performed.”

The flyers go on to ask: "Has Covid been a blessing in disguise for Chorlton and Old Trafford?"

In a statement, the estate agent apologises for the wording.

"We would like to say a heartfelt sorry to everyone in our community who encountered our latest flyer” a spokesperson for JP & Brimelow Chorlton & Didsbury says.

The Manchester Evening News carries a comment from one recipient saying: “I thought it was one of the most insensitive things I've seen in a long time ... I can’t imagine what it would be like for someone who has lost someone or is struggling to then be told it’s a blessing because of the financial gain to be had."

The member of the public continues: "I don’t know if it’s because I’ve just had Covid and I know how bad it is, but it has properly annoyed me. I just think it’s crass - it’s gone straight in the bin.

"There’s nothing wrong with saying that house pricing has increased, but any attempt to spin Covid positively - besides how it’s brought the community together - is appalling. People have lost their jobs, people are really struggling financially and are struggling to buy houses.”