Home information pack trials underway

Monday, 10 April 2006 12:00 AM

More than 2,500 home information packs have already been provided to homeowners as part of a dry-run prior to their introduction.

Forty-five organisations are taking part in the trials, which the government says is an essential part of testing all aspects of the packs prior to their mandatory introduction next year.

The Office of the Deputy Prime Minister revealed that more than 4,000 people have already begun training to become home inspectors.

But this is short of the target of between 5,000 and 7,400 full time home inspectors needed to complete an estimated 1.44 million home condition reports.

A new website (www.homeinformationpacks.gov.uk) providing information on home information packs has also been launched by the government.">

Housing minister Yvette Cooper said: "Home information packs have been long called for by consumer groups to give people reliable information at the beginning of the process. Now the dry run will make sure that all aspects of the packs are properly tested before being fully introduced next year."

From June 1st 2007 all homeowners wanting to sell their property will have to pay about £600 for a home information pack, which will contain information on their property including a home condition report, prior to putting it on the market.

The government says the introduction of the packs will help to reduce the £1 million wasted every day by sales falling through by providing information up front to buyers on the condition of the home they wish to buy.

But while the government's reasons for introducing home information packs are sound, critics of the scheme say they will just add to the costs of buying and selling a house.

The Council of Mortgage Lenders (CML) has already said that the home condition report is not a substitute for lender valuations, which buyers will still have to pay for.

Many buyers will also want to pay for their own, more detailed, survey when buying a property in addition to the pack's home condition report.

The Conservatives have revealed that they would scrap home information packs if they won the next general election.

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