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HIPs LATEST - GOVERNMENT ABOUT TO ORDER SUSPENSION |
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19TH
MAY 2010
I HAVE HAD NEWS JUST THIS MORNING
from close to the top (not from CLG press spokespeople) that
The Secretary of State is aware of the problems caused by the
current uncertainty (see my letter beneath) and HIP
'suspension' is imminent, and once the Order is laid it will
come into force THE NEXT DAY. Whether the action will include
a promise to consult on re-instatement, perhaps with amendments, at
a later date is unclear.
Separate legislation covers the
Energy Performance Certificate (EPC) which is currently
incorporated in the HIP (this is the part that reports on the
thermal efficiency of the property being sold, and requires a
personal inspection of the home by a qualified Domestic Energy
Inspector) - it is expected this will remain a marketing
requirement under EU law, but hopefully need not be produced
until legal completion of the sale. The regime that requires
the HIP and EPC to be in place BEFORE marketing could legally begin
was a Labour government embellishment for their own ends (I
have always suspected those ends to include the surreptitious
gathering of property information for future tax raising and
tax evasion investigation).
The Home Information Pack is
almost universally regarded as one of the worst pieces of
legislation to have been introduced in modern times (except by
HIP provider firms of course) and its abolition was a major
plank in the Manifesto promises of both the Conservative and
Liberal Democrat Parties
Trevor Kent
Former President NAEA
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