The Home Condition Report, Home Inspectors and the Home Information Pack

Background And Overview To The Home Buying Reforms

From 1 August 2007, every home put on the market with four or more bedrooms needs a Home Information Pack (HIP), which includes a home energy efficiency rating. The Pack includes an Energy Performance Certificate (EPC), containing advice on how to cut carbon emissions and fuel bills. Also included are documents such as a sale statement, searches and evidence of title. This is the first stage of Home Information Packs, which will soon be extended to smaller homes.

A Home Condition Report (HCR) contains information about the physical condition of a property, which sellers, buyers and lenders will be able to rely on legally as an accurate report.

The Report is an important part of the Pack, and can be included by sellers on a voluntary basis.

Sellers who provide a Report will have an early opportunity to carry out repair work on the property or obtain quotes prior to marketing.

Buyers can use it at the beginning of the home-buying process to minimise the possibility of being faced with unexpected repair bills and other surprises.

Lenders can benefit by using the Report to inform their valuations, reducing the need to repeat a detailed on-site inspection at the buyer's expense.

The Government believes there will be significant benefits to home sellers if they top up their Packs to include full Home Condition Reports, and that this is a product that the market can deliver. Communities and Local Government is working with stakeholders to facilitate the voluntary take-up of the full Report, and has invested resources in promoting and developing it for consumers.

Only officially licensed Home Inspectors (HIs), a new body of professionals independently certified by industry-run schemes to be approved by government, are currently allowed to carry out HCRs.

homeinspectors.co.uk has been working with the Government for the past 10 years as part of numerous industry liaison and advisory groups, contributing significantly to the reforms. Additionally, working with colleges, universities, awarding bodies, assessors and training providers, home inspectors. co.uk has influenced the shape of the new environment and is ideally placed to hold your hand through the delicate and complex implementation stages of the reforms.

Home Inspectors are required to demonstrate competence against National Occupational Standards (NOS) at Level 4, for which the Awarding Body of the Built Environment (ABBE) have developed a Vocationally Related Qualification (VRQ). In the longer term when the new HI role becomes live this will become a National Vocational Qualification (NVQ).

Since February 2007, National Occupational Standards for Domestic Energy Assessors (DEAS) have been in place, enabling people to train for a stand-alone Energy Assessors qualification. This is not a complete solution to a career in home inspection and will not permit the carrying out of Home Condition Reports but is an option for those who want to carry out only Energy Performance Certificates (EPCs).