Latest news
Home Information Packs
1st January 2008
It's now about six months since Home Information Packs (HIPs) were first introduced in England and Wales. The HIPs requirements came into force last year (1 August for homes with four or more bedrooms, and 10 September for those with three or more bedrooms).
Last November, Communities and Local Government announced the roll out of the final phase of the HIPs programme for all other properties put on the market. The requirement for HIPs and Energy Performance Certificates for all other homes came into effect on 14 December.
For the first time, all properties being marketed for sale will receive A-G energy ratings, which the government believes will help cut fuel bills and carbon emissions.
The announcement also stated that buyers whose homes score poor energy ratings of F or G (currently around a fifth of all homes) will receive an offer of a discount or free help with energy efficiency measures from the Green Homes Service which is to be established, helping to reduce fuel bills by hundreds of pounds.
The Government has also announced that, from April this year, it will begin to roll out Energy Performance Certificates for newly built homes, as well as for commercial property for sale, rent or construction.
Energy Performance Certificates and Home Condition Reports are now available from central registers. These registers provide an independent means for potential buyers and sellers (and those acting on their behalf) to check that a certificate or report is authentic.
Access to the information is available through two public websites: www.epcregister.com for Energy Performance Certificates and www.hcrregister.com for Home Condition Reports.
We are continuing our campaign to have electrical safety information included in HIPs, though there has yet to be any progress to report.
For the latest news about the Home Information Pack, visit: www.homeinformationpack.gov.uk
