1st June 2007 - HIPs become legal requirement

The ODPM has announced that on the 1st June 2007, Home Information Packs will become a legal requirement.. The date is later than originally announced, but given that the major concern was availability of Home Inspectors, this delay should give time for adequate numbers to be trained. Seven assessment centres have already been established and 1700 people from the surveying and property industry are undergoing training for the Home Inspector qualification. In research that is due to be published soon, it is confirmed that the number of home inspectors required will be less than the original 7500 estimate.

It appears that the “dry run” that was planned to take place in mid 2006, will take place later in the year, but this gives the opportunity for more home inspectors to be trained and for more systems work to be completed by the software providers.

It is a little concerning that the government has revised down the cost estimate for Home Information Packs, as this does not appear to reflect commercial reality. In particular, the estimate of the cost of the Home Condition Report is put at £300, which is a figure that is unlikely to be achievable.

Overall, reaction to this news from the key stakeholders has been negative which is disappointing. Both the Law Society and the National Association of Estate Agents have both criticised the announcement as premature.

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