The code of practice is now being put in place to provide maximum protection for the consumer.
While the government will ensure all Home Inspectors producing the Home Condition Report (HCR) are fully regulated, AHIPP will put in place a code of practice for the whole HIP to which all of its members will subscribe. Pack providers will be able to sign up to the voluntary code from late September this year.
Mike Ockenden, director-general of AHIPP, said: “The government has already announced that they will be regulating all Home Inspectors. We are now taking this a step further to provide a voluntary code of practice for pack providers too. All members of AHIPP will be subject to stringent standards to ensure consumers purchasing a pack through one of our members can place total confidence in the finished product.
“All of our members’ packs will be authenticated with the AHIPP logo and an independent compliance board has been set up to monitor the performance of providers, under the code.”
The AHIPP code will undergo the Office of Fair Trading (OFT) Consumer Codes Approval process and a consumer redress service will be provided through the Chartered Institute of Arbitrators.
Ockenden added: “The consumer will be able to place total confidence in any HIP purchased through one of our members. The government will be regulating Home Inspectors to ensure that they carry out their role to the highest standard and all consumers purchasing a Home Information Pack through an AHIPP member can be confident that their provider is also being stringently regulated. The packs will carry professional indemnity insurance and any problems that may arise will be picked up immediately and resolved quickly, with minimum disruption and cost to the consumer.”
