Date for further Hips rollout 'should now be set'

The government should announce the date on which homes with three bedrooms or more will qualify for Home information packs (Hips) following the announcement that the required number of qualified energy assessors has almost been reached, it has been advised.

The Association of Home Information Pack Providers (AHIPP) has said that just one more assessor needs to qualify before the government's target of 2,000 is reached, and has called on housing minister Yvette Cooper to name September 1st as the latest commencement date.

Properties with four or more bedrooms will require Hips from August 1st, but the government said that more assessors were required before the scheme could be extended.

"I would urge the minister to lay down the commencement order next week to allow Hips for three bedroom properties to go live on September1st– exactly one month after Hips will be mandatory for homes with four bedrooms or more. At the present rate of progress the remainder of the housing stock should follow soon after," commented AHIPP director general Mike Ockenden.

Many industry bodies are still against the packs' implementation, with the Royal Institute of Chartered Surveyors even going so far as to start legal proceedings to stop the initiative.


© Adfero Ltd