Nov 8 2005
The Government's recent announcement on Home Information Packs has received a mixed response in the press. Among concerns about the Packs, which all those selling their homes will be required to provide from 2007, was the question of whether the Home Inspectors compiling the required Home Condition Reports would be sufficiently qualified.
But according to Chris Broadbent, Director of the Assessment Centre at BRE, 'Home Inspectors will be skilled professionals who have gone through a rigorous programme of training and assessment. Their training will be quality controlled by two levels of verification and they will sit a final exam before being awarded the Diploma in Home Inspection. They will then prepare and deliver Home Condition Reports under a third party certification scheme.'
BRE is currently training and assessing an increasing number of Home Inspectors, both experienced practitioners and new entrants, to be ready for the introduction of Home Information Packs.
'As a leading Assessment Centre for the delivery of the Diploma in Home Inspection,' says Chris Broadbent,' BRE is committed to the highest standards of training and assessment for its candidates. We are confident that candidates successfully completing this programme, will have all the necessary expertise to deliver high quality Home Condition Reports that sellers, buyers and lenders can rely on.'
To become licensed, a Home Inspector must achieve a Level 4 Vocational Qualification through an assessment of competence by practical demonstration of the skills required, and a comprehensive examination. This applies to both experienced surveyors and to new entrants to the profession. The vocational qualification is being delivered through approved Assessment Centres, of which BRE is one, working to a well established national system of standards setting and quality audit. Once licensed, the Home Inspector will operate under a third party certification scheme, and will maintain clearly defined standards of conduct, undertake continuing professional development and have suitable insurance in force.
'The Home Condition Report will be prepared under strict conditions of engagement to produce a report that all involved parties can have confidence in,' says Broadbent, 'and which will allow a buyer to make an offer on a house in the full knowledge of its condition.'