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Home Information Packs 'Go-Live' Date Announced

CIOB reports that Home Information Packs, which are being introduced in the United Kingdom to reform the home buying and selling process, will become mandatory from 1st June 2007.

The Government believes that by providing key information at the beginning of the process, Home Information Packs will prevent waste and significantly cut the number of sales that fall through. The packs are expected to cost around £600 +VAT for the average home. Most of these costs are currently paid by the buyer.

Making the announcement, the Housing Minister at the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister, Yvette Cooper, said that the Government expects confirmation of an implementation date to act as a trigger to those who are waiting to begin their training as Home Inspectors, as well as provide certainty to organisations that are preparing to offer Home Information Packs to consumers on a voluntary basis.

To date, seven assessment centres have been established and 1700 people from the surveying and property industry and other professions are currently undergoing training for the home inspector qualification. Research shortly to be published by ODPM will confirm that the number of home inspectors required for June 2007 is expected to be between 5000 and 7400. The next step is to establish the certification scheme required to provide quality assurance and manage the Home Condition Report and Home Inspector registers.

It is expected this will be operating by the summer of 2006. A 'dry run' will follow later in the year, designed to provide assurance to the industry and the public in advance of mandatory introduction on 1st June 2007. Research on the number of home inspectors required provides a range of estimates of between 5000 and 7,400 based upon assumptions around numbers of HCRs required and home inspector productivity levels in liaison with the industry. Details of the assumptions are described in the full report, which will be published shortly.

The report also highlights the need to continuously monitor and revisit the range estimates as more evidence on the assumptions and Home Inspectors working patterns becomes available.

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