Home Information Packs for buyers

Know your rights?

There are many safeguards in place to protect buyers and sellers. Home Inspectors and Domestic Energy Assessors must be accredited before they are allowed to inspect a property.

Should you have a problem with the Pack, an Inspector or Assessor, you can find useful information on:

Complaints procedure
Home Inspectors certification scheme
Domestic Energy Assessors accreditation scheme

Complains Procedure

Home Information Pack legislation means that, from 1 August 2007, all estate agents in England and Wales that market homes with Home Information Packs must now belong to an approved independent redress scheme for Home Information Pack-related complaints, in respect of homes with 4 or more bedrooms and marketed as such. Membership of an approved redress scheme will also apply at each phase of the roll-out of Home Information Packs for 3-bedroom homes and other homes. At present, there are two approved schemes in place run by the Ombudsman for Estate Agents(OEA) and the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors (RICS)

All accreditation and certification schemes for Domestic Energy Assessors (DEAs) and Home Inspectors (HIs) are required to have robust complaint handling procedures. Details of complaints procedures for DEAs and HIs can be found at the relevant accreditation or certification scheme.

The provision of an independent redress scheme for Home Information Packs will help to:

Secure consumer confidence
Improve standards of service
Protect home buyers and sellers from unscrupulous and incompetent agents and others marketing with Packs.

Aims

The overall aim is to ensure that redress arrangements across the industry are:

Comprehensive - The full scope of the home selling/buying industry should be covered.
Standardised - The home selling/buying industry is broad and includes a number of specialist services. The same high standards should be required of all.
Consumer-friendly - There should be a single point of entry for consumers with complaints about any aspect of the home selling/buying process.
Principled - Procedures should be accessible, independent, fair, transparent, effective, efficient and confidential.

Home Inspectors certification scheme

This Certification Scheme should ensure that professionals are trained to complete the inspections and that the work of the Home Inspectors (who prepare Home Condition Reports) can be trusted by sellers, buyers and lenders alike.

The Certification Schemes should:

Ensure that all Home Inspectors are 'fit and proper' people.
Check the background of Home Inspectors, including carrying out a Criminal Records Bureau check.
Ensure that the Home Inspectors are qualified to carry out their duties.
Ensure that the Home Inspectors have insurance cover to deal with any claims that might arise.
Check the quality of the work produced by Home Inspectors and ensure that there is no drop in standards.
Have the power to suspend and cancel the membership of any Home Inspector whose work falls below acceptable standards or who does not adhere to a strict code of conduct.
Ensure that Home Inspectors deal with any complaints in a fair, quick and transparent manner.
Keep a public register of their members.

Certification

The Secretary of State has approved a number of Home Inspector Certification Schemes: The schemes will guarantee that the work of the Home Inspectors can be trusted by sellers, buyers and lenders.

Domestic Energy Assessors accreditation scheme

Accreditation Schemes should ensure that the work of the Domestic Energy Assessors (who prepare Energy Performance Certificates) can be trusted by sellers, buyers and lenders alike.

The Accreditation Schemes should:

Ensure that all Assessors are 'fit and proper' people.
Check the background of Assessors, including carrying out a Criminal Records Bureau check.
Ensure that the Assessors are qualified to carry out their duties.
Ensure that the Assessors have adequate indemnity cover to deal with any claims that might arise.
Check the quality of the work produced by Assessors and ensure that there are no drops in standards.
Have the power to suspend and/or cancel the membership of any Assessor whose work falls below acceptable standards, or who does not adhere to a strict code of conduct.
Ensure that there are proper procedures in place for complaints and redress.
Keep a public register of their members.

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