Home Information Packs (HIPS) Suspended: Focus Shifts to EPCs

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Home Information Packs (HIPS) have been suspended with immediate effect, as announced by Syntegra Group. This significant policy change impacts the UK property market by removing a previously mandatory requirement for sellers.

This change in legislation is welcomed by Syntegra Consulting as the emphasis remains with the Energy Performance Certificate (EPC). Extract as follows:

6. In order to ensure that people selling their homes continue to make an Energy Performance Certificate available to prospective buyers, we have also laid before Parliament the Energy Performance of Buildings (Certificates and Inspections) (England and Wales) (Amendment) Regulations 2010 which introduce a number of new requirements including:
•    a new duty on the seller to secure that an energy performance certificate (EPC) has been commissioned before marketing of the property commences where no such certificate is already available
•    an EPC has been commissioned when a Domestic Energy Assessor has been instructed to prepare the EPC and the EPC has either been paid for or has given a clear undertaking to pay for it
•    a new duty on the person acting on behalf of the seller to be satisfied that an EPC has been commissioned before commencing marketing
•    a new duty on both the seller and a person acting on their behalf to make reasonable efforts to secure an EPC within 28 days
•    all of the new duties carry fixed penalties where somebody fails in the duty conferred on them by the new regulations

The full article can be viewed at
http://www.communities.gov.uk/news/newsroom/1591783

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Frequently Asked Questions

1 What is the current status of Home Information Packs (HIPS)?

According to the Syntegra Group's blog post, Home Information Packs (HIPS) have been suspended with immediate effect. This signifies a change in the requirements related to property transactions.

2 When did the suspension of Home Information Packs (HIPS) take effect?

The blog post title indicates that the suspension of Home Information Packs (HIPS) was effective immediately upon the announcement. The specific date of the announcement is not detailed within the provided content.