Home information pack announcement
22 May
Please see below a summary of the press statement released by the CLG on 22 May.
The Government is today announcing that we will be implementing Energy Performance Certificates (EPCs) and Home Information Packs (HIPs) from 1 August instead of 1 June. The Government has also reached an agreement with the Royal Institution of Chartered surveyors (RICS) on their judicial review of Energy Performance Certificates.
The judge, considering the application for Judicial Review by RICS, had issued an Order preventing EPC’s from being included in HIPs from 1 June until a court had fully considered the RICS application.
We did not consider it to be acceptable or practical to delay the introduction of EPCs in this way. We have always made clear greater transparency in the housing market and tackling climate change goes hand in hand. In addition, we have created a new energy assessor workforce – the majority of whom expect to start work in June.
The Government will revise regulations and implement the following changes:
- HIPs and EPCs to start on August 1, implemented on a phased basis. From August 1 packs will be required for the sale of four bedrrom properties and larger. We will phase in packs for smaller properties as sufficient energy assessors become ready to start work.
- Until the end of the year, we will allow people to market their properties as soon as they have commissioned a pack.
- As a temporary measure, we will allow EPCs to be up to twelve months old when the property is put up for sale.
- We will also be inviting councils and registered social landlords to work with us to introduce EPCs on a voluntary basis in social housing.
Towards the end of the year we will assess the implementation of HIPs and consider what further steps might be needed to maximise the reduction in carbon emissions and drive forward the reform of home buying and selling.
This assessment will be informed by the operation of the market from 1 August; by the results of the area trials; and by a further consultation on the next steps in implementing HIPs and EPCs, which we will begin in the summer.
Communities Secretary Ruth Kelly said:
“The approach we have set-out preserves the principles of HIPs and EPCs, while ensuring a transition period for the people buying and selling their property. Most importantly, it provides an opportunity to make real progress towards cutting carbon emissions from our homes”.
Housing Minister Yvette Cooper said:
“Energy ratings for homes will help cut carbon emissions and
family fuel bills. Given the serious threat from climate change,
it would not have been acceptable for energy certificates to be
subject to long delays and uncertainty”.
We are also publishing the latest figures on energy assessor numbers, we now have 2,500 in training, a further 3,200 who have passed their exams, and, 1,500 who have been accredited or have applied for accreditation but only 520 of these have been fully accredited.
The phasing in of the programme will ensure that the numbers of assessors matched the need in the market place.
Crown copyright material reproduced with the permission of
the Controller of HMSO and the Queen’s Printer for Scotland.
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