Hips 'may include smaller homes'
Updated on 22 June 2007
There could be enough people trained to carry out audits for the new Home Information Packs (Hips) to extend the scheme to three-bedroom homes when it comes into force on August 1, it has been claimed.
The packs are due to be brought in for houses with four or more bedrooms at the beginning of August, with a phased introduction for smaller homes at a later, unspecified date.
They were delayed from an original date of June 1 because of concerns there were not enough people qualified to carry out the energy efficiency audits required as part of the HIPs.
But Nick Phillips of the Home Inspector Forum, which represents 3,900 training and qualified assessors, said they had been assured that if there were enough auditors the scheme would go ahead for three-bedroom properties from August 1.
He said there were 1,300 trained assessors and if the accreditation process went as planned there could be in excess of 3,000 by August 1.
"What they're saying is if 1,000 assessors are ready to work on August 1 then it will be applied to four-bedroom houses and if there's 2,000 it could include three-bedroom houses," he said.
But he said there were concerns HIPs could still be abandoned by the Government. "It's a case of hoping for the best, but preparing for the worst. We're hoping enough assessors can be accredited before the first of August to have a proper marketplace to operate in, but we are preparing for the Government to do another U-turn," he said.
A spokesman for the Department of Communities and Local Government said it was still planning a phased roll-out of HIPs based on having enough trained inspectors, with sufficient regional distribution, and following assessment of lessons learnt from the implementation of the packs.
The phased introduction was announced last month, when the Government said 1,000 home inspectors and domestic energy assessors would be needed to introduce the HIPs for four-bedroom houses, 2,000 to extend it to three-bedroom homes and 3,000 to cover the whole market. The latest figures show 1,050 fully qualified assessors, according to the DCLG.
"We have set out the criteria for rolling out to other sized properties - which will happen once sufficient energy inspectors are in place nationally and regionally to meet market demand, taking into account lessons learnt from the operation of HIPs," the spokesman said.
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