Govt still committed to Hips
June 14, 2007 by admin
Filed under News, News-Mortgages
The government remains committed to the introduction of Home Information Packs (Hips) in August.
Secretary of state for communities and local government Ruth Kelly has reassured homeowners that the government has no plans to back out at this late stage.
Hips will be mandatory in the sale of any house with four or more bedrooms from August 1st, with a view to a wider roll-out in the future.
Some concern had been raised that Hips would be completely scrapped following a humiliating government u-turn over whether they should be introduced to all home sales.
It was eventually announced that Hips would only apply to homes with four or more bedrooms but Ms Kelly has now offered some more details on how the packs will be phased into the entire property market.
She outlined how many energy assessors will be needed for the phased introduction and homeowners are being offered financial incentives to get a Hip before the August 1st deadline.
The reassurances from Ms Kelly have been welcomed by the Association of Home Information Pack Providers (Ahipp).
“Ruth Kelly has today provided much needed clarity for consumers, the Hip industry and energy assessors and she has reaffirmed the government’s commitment to the future of Hips,” said Ahipp director general Mike Ockenden.
“We now call upon all industries that touch the home buying and selling process to get behind the implementation of Hips, in order to deliver the benefits to home sellers and buyers.”
