The controversial Home Information Packs are now legal requirements on any home that is marketed for sale in England or Wales, but the implementation of these packs has been a long time coming, with the original date for implementation meant to be in June of last year. The actual date when HIPs became a legal requirement on all residential properties being market for sale in England and Wales was 14th December, around six months later than had been originally planned.
According to a report from a group of MPs, the Department of Communities and Local Government (DCLG) was not properly prepared, lost its nerve, and failed to deliver when it came to Home Information Packs. According to government officials the roll out of HIPs was purposely phased stage by stage to ensure smooth implementation, but the report from the group of MPs suggests otherwise.
Government officials had partly blamed a lack of trained officers for delays in the implementation of the packs, but the report suggests that people did not want to pay out for training “for jobs the government would not guarantee would exist”. The MPs stated that the HIPs were slimmed down, reducing earnings potential for qualified officers. The report stated: “There were not enough inspectors because CLG first watered down and then repeatedly delayed the introduction of Hips.”
The shadow housing minister slated the ’shambolic and secretive way’ in which HIPs had been introduced and rolled out. He added: “At a time when the housing market needs certainty and stability, Labour provided chaos and confusion.”
However, the housing minister stated: “It was not possible to introduce Hips in June because of the RICS legal action against the energy performance certificate and, due to the resulting uncertainty, the number of assessors available. And we made a deliberate decision to phase the roll-out in order to ensure smooth implementation.”
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