To make sure you’re fully prepared for this Wednesday when HIPs are
introduced for homes with 4 or more bedrooms, check that you know: 1. Where you’re getting your Packs from 2. What payment options you’re offering your customers 3. How you will provide copies 4. How you will attach the energy information to the property particulars. Further Information can be found here
Property Particulars
The current regulations allow for written or electronic particulars to be
produced without the two EPC graphs until they become available. Once an EPC
is available, any description of the property produced that contains at
least two out of the three criteria set out in the EPB Regulations will need
to contain the EPC graphs. These criteria are:
a) a photograph of the building or any room in the building;
b) a floor plan of the building; or
c) a description of the size of the rooms in the building
This means that as soon as the EPC is available, any adverts or particulars
that fall within these criteria will need to include the EPC graphs, or have
the EPC itself (but not the recommendations report) attached to them.
Response to media headlines
In response to accusations in today's Daily Mail that HIPs will increase
Council Tax, a spokesman for Communities and Local Government said: "This is total codswallop. Time and again we have made clear the Valuation
Office Agency will not have access to this register. We even set it out in
the law so there could be no doubt.
"No revaluation is currently taking place in England. Reports of a
revaluation by stealth are pure invention."
On accusations in the Sunday Telegraph/Express, that EPCs are flawed because
assessors gave different results on the same property, a spokesman for
Communities and Local Government said:
"EPCs are a comprehensive assessment of the energy efficiency of a home,
with standards set by industry experts and endorsed by environmental groups.
All EPCs are carried out by trained and accredited assessors. The quality of
assessments will also be fully monitored by each accredited scheme to ensure
standards are met and customers unhappy with an assessment will be able to
challenge the result."
Please send any questions to homeinfopacks@communities.gsi.gov.uk or for further information visit the HIPs website.