Home Information Pack (HIP) update
The one thing law requires is
certainty. Certainty allows for clarity, implementation and
understanding. Alas, the Home Information Pack
(HIP) legislation falls way below the mark.
For many months, property
professionals had been preparing for the introduction of the HIP
Regulations on 1 June 2007, notwithstanding the Government’s
partial ‘U’ turn late last year. This was when it withdrew the
compulsory Home Condition Report for each property prior to sale
and promoted the much watered-down Energy Performance Certificate
(EPC).
But ten days before the big day, Ruth
Kelly, the Communities and Local Government Secretary, announced a
delay to the Regulations' introduction until 1 August 2007 and some
major changes, notably that they would only apply to
four-bedroom properties until further notice and that EPCs would
now be valid for a year after they had been prepared.
The Regulations' scope was
subsequently extended to include properties with three bedrooms
and it was only quite recently, on 22 November,
that the Government finally announced that the
Regulations would apply to all properties from the 14
December.
Insufficient time has elapsed to
really assess whether property professionals and their clients now
see HIPs as a help or a hindrance. Time will tell….
For more information on HIPs and the
key points that you need to consider, please view our
HIPs guidance
notes.
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This update is based on one taken from the latest edition of
Blake Lapthorn's regular newsletter published specifically for
private individuals - private client issues.
To read other articles, or to view/download the
newsletter in its entirety, click on the link below:
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