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Home Inspectors at the National Conveyancing Congress

Home Inspectors .co.uk are amongst a wide range of expert contributors at the forthcoming National Conveyancing Congress taking place in London on the 14th and 15th of November. The National Conveyancing Congress is the annual meeting place for decision makers in the conveyancing industry... from lenders to law firms, from Home Information Pack providers and home inspectors to technology services.

Despite the Government's decision on July the 18th to make the Home Condition Report non-compulsory, a mandatory HIP including all property search and legal title information, along with a new Energy Performance Certificate (EPC) will still be launched in June 2007. As such, the introduction of HIPs next summer is still set to be the most significant change to the way properties are bought and sold in the UK for the last 50 years.

The National Conveyancing Congress will reflect these latest developments, with a new emphasis on the impact and implementation of the "streamlined" HIP, and increased discussion about the possible paths to a second phase.

Supporting the initiative, Chief Executive of Home Inspectors .co.uk, Stephen Callaghan said, "the National Conveyancing Congress is not just about HIPs... it's about the future of conveyancing and the integration of home inspectors and energy assessors in the overall process. It is designed to provide an ongoing platform for open discussion, debate, information sharing and partnership building to allow delegates to better explore the opportunities, associated with residential home buying and selling reforms. We are absolutely delighted to be involved in this exciting Congress."

As well as a faculty of over 40 speakers and panellists representing all the different sectors, associations and agencies, delegates will be given ample opportunity to meet and greet their peers, partners and customers.

Invitations to attend the National Conveyancing Congress are being sent out to director level and leading practitioners from the following groups:

• Home Inspectors
• Energy Assessors
• Law firms
• Specialist conveyancers
• Surveyors
• Specialist conveyancers
• Lenders
• Property search providers
• Specialist conveyancers
• Estate Agencies
• HIP Providers
• Insurance providers
• IT solution providers
• Government agencies
• Local government
• Energy rating agencies
• Mortgage intermediaries

Partners & Supporters, Partnering Associations:

PISCES enables the electronic transfer of information directly from one system into another, and removes the need to send hard copy and, more importantly, the need to re-enter data manually.

The PISCES Standard is a set of definitions and rules that facilitate the automatic transfer of data between different types of software packages and has been used regularly by those involved in the property industry for over 9 years.

Membership is open to any organisation in the property industry that exchanges data regularly with any other organisation or between different systems within their own organisation.

There are around 130 member organisations within PISCES that include representatives of the following communities: Real Estate Occupiers, Investors, Residential Lenders, Property Companies, Government Departments, Property Insurers, Property Advisors, Software Companies, Professional Standards Organisations, Trade Associations, Financial Organisations, Conveyancers and Legal Advisors.

The Council of Property Search Organisations (CoPSO) provides a service to organisations providing property search reports by -

• Helping to establish a favourable operating environment.
• a forum for discussion on non-competitive issues.
• Providing information to assist them in their business.

CoPSO is currently concentrating on ensuring the acceptability of property information reports by both mortgage lenders and the Government for inclusion in the proposed Home Information Packs (HIPs) CoPSO recognises that for this to happen property search organisations must conform to agreed standards and also that they must have access to information held by local authorities and central government. Accordingly, CoPSO is:

• Working with the Government on the implementation of the OFT's recommendations for reform within the search industry and increased access to local authority data.
• Representing the search industry on the Government's working groups looking at what information will be included in HIPs.
• Assisting the Government in drawing up standards for those providing information in the HIP.
• Developing an industry accreditation scheme which will include standards of practice, consumer redress, training and competence.
• Maintaining a dialogue with the Council of Mortgage Lenders to seek to increase the number of lenders that will accept searches prepared by property search organisations.
• Seeking to address with relevant local authority organisations the issue of access to local authority data.
• Maintaining a dialogue with the ODPM and other government departments on issues of concern to members.

Supporting Associations

RICS is the mark of property professionalism worldwide, promoting best practice, regulation and consumer protection for business and the community. It is the home of property related knowledge and is an impartial advisor to governments and global organisations.

The Council of Mortgage Lenders is the trade association for the mortgage lending industry, and its members account for around 98% of UK residential mortgage lending.

Our aim is to help to foster a favourable operating environment in the UK housing and mortgage markets. We are the representative voice for the residential mortgage lending industry, and the central provider of economic, statistical, legal, research and other market information.

Our members are banks, building societies and other mortgage lenders. We also have associates, drawn from a variety of related businesses, including lawyers, conveyancers, search companies and management consultants.

The Association of Mortgage Intermediaries formally came into being on 17th April 2003. In that time we have attracted over 17,000 mortgage professionals as members and over 30 lenders take associate membership.

Whilst support from all quarters of the mortgage industry is useful, we are clear about our sole objective: to be the voice of the professional mortgage intermediary. Whether through dialogue with the FSA and Treasury, representing members 'views in Europe, or speaking on their behalf to the media, members' interests are our only concern.

As well as providing mortgage intermediaries with a platform there are a number of additional benefits: member newsletters, regional meetings, and a newsflash bulletin service makes sure members are kept up-to-date with the issues affecting their business. The AMI helpdesk also provides a helping hand with regulatory and technical queries, over the telephone or via e-mail.

The National Association of Estate Agents is dedicated to the goal of professionalism within high street estate agency. The NAEA is the largest professional estate agency organisation in the UK. Representing nearly 10,000 members, the NAEA is committed to raising professional standards across all aspects of the property market for the benefit of member agents and ultimately the home moving public.

AHIPP was formed in July 2005 as a Trade Association for HIP providers who wished to engage meaningfully in the establishment of the new HIP industry.

In summary the objectives of the Association are to be a consultative body to Government and any other organisation with a stake in HIPs and to promote policies and standards for the successful implementation of HIPs. This includes promoting the benefits of HIPs to consumers, industry and politicians alike.

AHIPP has grown quickly to over 40 members from all aspects of the residential property market and has established itself as the main representative of the new HIPs industry.

The Association is engaged in two very important activities relating to the successful implementation of HIPs. The first is the delivery of standards for the industry based on a meaningful code of practice offering protection to consumers and all parties to HIPs. The second is an early roll out programme that will take HIPs to a number of communities up and down the country well before the mandatory date for use of HIPs in June 2007.

It is AHIPP's intent to recruit all HIP providers large and small to provide a single and effective voice to ensure that a robust and sustainable industry is created that will benefit the consumer and the residential property market for the long term.

About the CLC - The Council for Licensed Conveyancers (CLC) is the regulatory body for Licensed Conveyancers who are qualified specialist property lawyers. All conveyancing - essentially the legal processes involved in transferring buildings and/or land from one owner to another and dealing with the financial transactions - was the sole responsibility of solicitors until 1987.

Many Licensed conveyancers practise on their own or in partnership. Once the CLC examinations have been successfully completed and the practical training requirements undertaken, an applicant may apply for a licence which would permit them to offer conveyancing services as an employed person. Once they have held an employed licence for a period of three years, they may then apply for a full licence, which would permit them to offer conveyancing services directly to the public as the sole principal, as a partner in a firm of Licensed conveyancers or a director of a recognised body, i.e. limited company.

The Council has 15 members, made up of 8 elected Licensed conveyancers and 7 nominated by other external organisations. Its full time administrative staff are based in Chelmsford.

The Council:

• Organises the training which all Licensed conveyancers are required to undertake before they are eligible for a licence
• Sets examinations
• Issues annual licences
• Makes Rules
• Makes Rules
• Handles complaints
• Regularly monitors the profession by way of a Compliance Department
• Disciplines Licensed Conveyancers when necessary
• Organises insurance and compensation funds so that the public do not suffer from a Licensed Conveyancer's negligence or fraud.

Novemeber 2006