Commons vote fails to shake HIPs

MPs have voted down a move by the Conservatives to derail the introduction of home information packs (HIPs) in advance of the 1 June go-live date.
 
HIPs, which are expected to cost the vendor of each home for sale upwards of £300, have long been the subject of bitter disagreement. Today’s denial of the Conservatives’ motion to scrap the packs, by 306 votes to 234, won’t be the last parliamentary attempt to block the policy; there is to be a showdown in the House of Lords next week.
 
The Conservatives want the energy performance certificate (EPC) to be introduced separately from the HIP itself. Tory housing spokesman Michael Gove MP called HIPs ‘a test case in how not to legislate’. He said they will make the process of selling a home unnecessarily complex and that charging VAT on them is unfair to homeowners who have already been taxed at the point of buying in the form of stamp duty.
 
Mike Ockenden, director general of the Association of Home Information Pack Providers (AHIPP), applauded today’s vote. ‘Yet again, government has demonstrated its commitment to reducing the carbon emissions of our housing stock and to improving the house buying and selling process for consumers across England and Wales through the implementation of Home Information Packs (HIPs).
 
‘AHIPP and its members will continue to work towards the smooth implementation of the packs for the benefit of the consumer, the industry and the environment.’
 
Stephen Callaghan, director of domestic energy assessor provider energy-assessors.com, said,
‘Today's Commons vote has reaffirmed the Government's commitment to the introduction of HIPs on 1st June. This will give consumers, the industry and those training to provide energy performance certificates full confidence to proceed towards implementation as legislated. Any further attempts to scupper the most important reform of the house buying and selling process for decades will be unnecessary and only add to the continued scaremongering and subsequent confusion that has been rife during the last few weeks.’

16/05/2007

Source - HotProperty.co.uk