Timetable: late changes preclude rigorous testing


Three key property groups have increased the pressure on the government to delay the implementation of home information packs (HIPs).



The Council of Mortgage Lenders, the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors and the National Association of Estate Agents (NAEA) warned that the current timetable for implementing the controversial packs on 1 June was unrealistic.



In response to the latest consultation on proposals to rectify problems highlighted in the area trials, the council said the changes being implemented at this late stage, with only three months to the launch, made it impossible to test the system rigorously and make any adjustments.



NAEA chief executive Peter Bolton King said the government was taking an 'unacceptable strategic risk' and called for larger fully independent trials.



Meanwhile, an independent watchdog, the Better Regulation Commission, this week urged the government to delay introduction of energy performance certificates, one of the compulsory HIP documents.



The commission said the requirement for a new certificate every time a property was marketed, which went beyond the requirement of the underlying European directive, would increase the cost of moving, and questioned whether the measure was proportionate or justifiable.



Law Society Deputy Vice-President Paul Marsh said: 'We have always told the government that 1 June is unworkable and premature. We would not be against a postponement.'



A Department for Communities and Local Government spokesman said there had been extensive consultation and it had introduced measures to ensure a smooth launch.



Catherine Baksi