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The Government announced on Tuesday 22nd May that Home Information Packs (HIPs) will not be introduced on 1st June as previously planned. The main points of the announcement were as follows:
- HIPS will now be postponed until 1st August, and will then be introduced for homes with 4 or more bedrooms only
- A judicial review of HIPS was requested by the Royal Institute of Chartered Surveyors (RICS). A judge has subsequently ruled that Energy Performance Certificates (EPCS) cannot be included in HIPs while the review was being undertaken
- To date, only 520 Energy Assessors are fully accredited. 2000 would have been needed for 1st June
- HIPS will be rolled out for smaller properties when enough Energy Inspectors are accredited
- Until the end of the year, a property can be marketed as soon as a HIP has been commissioned. Sellers will not have to wait until a HIP is completed
- EPCs can be up to 12 months old when they are put in a HIP, compared to 3 months previously
- The Government will work with councils and registered social landlords to introduce EPCs on a voluntary basis
- The HIPS Regulations (2007) will be withdrawn and new regulations implemented
- A review will be undertaken later in the year
- These changes have been agreed with the RICS, who have now dropped their judicial review. (This has subsequently been denied by the RICS.)
Severn Trent Searches thinks the Government has made the right decision. While the delay to HIPs is disappointing it will allow a greater number of energy inspectors to be trained in time for an August launch. Severn Trent Searches has sufficient energy inspectors to draw on but shortages elsewhere could have caused long delays for homeowners.
One of the required elements of the Home Information Pack is the enhanced CON29DW Drainage and Water Enquiry. At Severn Trent Searches we believe that the extra information provided in the new search will have significant benefits for the consumer. For this reason we are still planning to launch our enhanced CON29DW search prior to the official start date of 1st August.
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