Paul Broadhead, deputy director general of the Association of Home Information Pack Providers (AHIPP) said the attacks were a 'feeble attempt to misinform the public for private gain' and amounted to political point scoring.
Broadhead warned recent revelations are causing unnecessary panic across the housing market.
Broadhead stated:
LIE 1: THERE WILL NOT BE ENOUGH DOMESTIC ENERGY ASSESSORS
FACT: It is estimated that the market will need 2,500 qualified Domestic Energy Assessors (DEAs) by June.
FACT: 1,000 DEAs are already trained and a further 2,200 will have completed their training and qualified by June.
“The suggestion that there will not be enough energy assessors on the 1st June is totally untrue, and totally unsubstantiated. The current training courses for DEAs are bulging at the seams and a second tranche of trained energy assessors are expected to come though post June 1st - under no circumstances will we not have enough energy assessors.”
Stephen Callaghan, director of energy-assessors.com, adds: “We alone will have at least 870 fully trained assessors by June, enough to service one third of the entire market.”
LIE 2: HIPs WILL COST £1,000 EACH AND ESTATE AGENTS WILL RIP OFF CUSTOMERS
FACT: HIPs will cost on average £300 - £500 for the mandatory pack and all estate agents dealing with HIPs will have to become a member of the statutory redress scheme.
“The suggestion, by some misinformed individuals, that HIPs will cost £1,000 is a total fabrication. HIPs will cost in the region of £300 - £500 and this will include the cost of an Energy Performance Certificate (EPC). The consumer will not be faced with paying this upfront. A number of options will be available to consumers including interest free deferred payments and the option to incorporate into the overall Estate Agency Services. Nobody will be forced down any single payment route.
“Market forces will keep the cost of packs competitive with multiple suppliers competing for business. Consumers and Estate Agents should only purchase HIPs from HIP Code compliant suppliers to ensure the maximum consumer protection. In addition, any agent that has any involvement with a HIP must become a member of the statutory redress scheme which will offer considerable additional protection for the consumer.”
LIE 3: HIPS WILL IMPACT NEGATIVELY ON THE HOUSING MARKET
FACT: HIPs will reduce the number of transactions that fall through, saving consumers time and money.
“A number of agents have recently launched campaigns, urging consumers to put their home on the market early, in an attempt to avoid the need for a HIP. If consumers feel the need to rush to market their homes in an attempt to avoid the HIP this may cause a slight distortion in the market during the early summer months. However, July and August are traditionally quieter periods and over the year as a whole this will have no impact at all.”
Broadhead concluded: “The recent suggestions surrounding energy assessor numbers and the predicted market impact of HIPs are ridiculous. They are nothing more than an irresponsible attempt by those who oppose HIPs to scare consumers and impair this much needed reform of the house buying and selling process for their own or political gain.”
Stephen Callaghan added: “The amount of misinformation put about by organisations who are against the introduction of HIPs has sunk to new levels with the insistence that there will be a shortage of Domestic Energy Assessors to carry out Energy Performance Certificates (EPCs) from 1 June. These organisations simply refuse to acknowledge the facts from Energy Assessor training providers such as ourselves, who can prove beyond all doubt that there are more than enough Energy Assessors in training.
“It is time that the public were given the facts about the industry’s preparation for the 1 June, when it becomes law for every property sold in the UK to have a HIP, containing an EPC rating the energy-efficiency of the home.
“The government has now officially confirmed that there are approximately 3,000 Domestic Energy Assessors in training. These assessors will be more than capable of meeting requirements on 1 June, when the government estimates 2,500 – 3,000 will be needed to produce an estimated 90,000 EPCs in the launch month. In response to the challenge laid down by the government, energy-assessors.com alone will have at least 870 fully trained assessors by that date, enough to service almost one third of the market’s requirement in June alone with a further 400 qualifying by the end of the summer. It is high time the home buying and selling public is given the facts, rather than being fed misinformation by organisations with vested interests in attempting to scupper this new legislation.”
