The Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors has slammed the government over home information packs and claims that it has "not listened" to concerns expressed by leading industry bodies, mortgage holders may be interested to know.
On June 1st 2007, the UK housing market is set to witness the launch of the mandatory packs, which include information on properties up for sale such as title deeds and energy performance certificates.
However, with less than three months to go, the institution has joined the National Association of Estate Agents and the Council of Mortgage Lenders in writing to the government to point out problems with the project.
"As implementation plans have emerged over the last 18 months our concerns, around the cost to consumers and the market consequences of the Hip [home information pack], have grown markedly," said Jeremy Leaf, spokesperson for the institution.
One element of home information packs will be an assessment of the energy rating of the property to be sold, which assesses items such as loft insulation and double-glazed windows.
Recently, the Association of Home Information Pack Providers estimated that there will be approximately 2,500 people trained to deliver energy performance certificates by the time the scheme goes live.
