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So today came the big announcement, after speculation and leaks all week from CLG and other parties, Caroline Flint (Housing Minister) did confirm:

I am today laying amendments to the Home Information Pack Regulations to extend the temporary first day marketing provision, and to extend the temporary provision requiring HIPs to include the "Lease" only and to "authorise" other leasehold documents, from 1 June to 31 December 2008.

Here is the BBC article about First Day Marketing being postponed

and here is Caroline Flint's full statement to the cabinet.


The temporary first day marketing provision allows a property to be marketed without a HIP where the documents required for inclusion in the HIP have been commissioned and paid for, or arrangement for payment been made and are expected to arrive within 28 days.

So who wins? Well the NAEA think they have won (when will they ever understand the real rules of the game anyway rather than issuing misleading statements and today their Chief Executive said:

I am pleased to report that the Housing Minister has been listening to us and has just announced that the current temporary arrangements with regard to the Home Information Packs will be extended until 31st December 2008.

In effect this means things carry on as now and that you can continue to market the property providing you have commissioned the HIP and agreed payment. There is still, therefore, no requirement to include full leasehold information within the HIP.

And who loses? Well all those HIP providers that were set up to be efficient and had automated many of their processes. Equally many companies had invested in being able to deliver the half-HIP solution, whereby they deliver what is required for First Day Marketing, but then can also provide the completed HIP once the remaining documents are available.

So once again, is this CLG listening to industry, or simply being told what to do by the the political powers? It all looks a mess to me, but whats new?

So what, if any, is the Governments policy on HCRs?

From more Parliamentary questions and answers yesterday, once again its that man Eric Pickles doing the asking:

Eric Pickles, Conservative MP: "what is the policy on voluntary home condition reports; and if she will make a statement."

Caroline Flint: "The Government remain convinced of the benefits of the Home Condition Report (HCR) and encourages sellers to include one in their pack. The Department continues to work with industry to promote and find solutions to increase the uptake of the HCR on a market-led basis."

So perhaps a better question would be: What exactly are the government doing to assist the HCR, what measurables do they have in place to define what is success and failure for the voluntary take-up of HCRs.

I only say this as I don't recall seeing any CLG advertising on the HCR- ever! I see negligible evidence of working groups focusing on the HCR. I don't see anyone who believes that the HCR will actually receive any kind of promotion before the next election. I do see marketing spend on EPCs, commercial EPCs but not a jot on HCRs- why would this be I wonder?

So for me, having shelled out north of 7 grand on HI training, I suppose its as satisfactory as listening to a Minister say 'well we aren't too keen on wars or increasing taxation' when actually the Government is taking part in the former and continually introducing the latter.

See, you can't tell I'm still bitter about the HCR U-turn can you?

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