Home Condition Reports not the right product, says Healey

Just 327 reports lodged since 1 August 2007

Submitted by: MikeC (Admin) on 14-Jan-10 03:36:28 PM

It seems John Healey, housing minister, is now prepared to publicly call time on the Home Condition Report - just as his department long-intended, some will say.

In a written answer to Lib Dem, Sarah Teather, he wrote:

…since the decision in July 2006 to make the HCR an authorised rather than required document, we continued to promote the benefits of including an HCR within a HIP. However, take-up has been disappointing with only 327 reports lodged on the central register since 1 August 2007 and it is clear that the product as it stands is not seen as the right one either by consumers or industry.

Hansard

And some will shout: promote?

Number of home inspectors

But still they pile in; thanks, no doubt, to aggressive training providers targeting the newly unemployed.

The latest number of accredited home inspectors stood at 971, as of January 4th 2010; an increase of 93 since August last year.

If there is any “hope” to be garnered, Healy does add:

We still believe that consumers should be better informed about any property they are looking to buy before making what is undoubtedly one of the biggest purchases of their lives and that they want information about the condition of homes before they commit to buying them. As a result Margaret Beckett established the Working Group on condition information in the home buying and selling process to explore options for ensuring consumers receive appropriate information about a property's condition before they commit to buy, by building on existing products such as the HCR, and creating opportunities for all practitioners including home inspectors.

More of your money to the training providers, then.

Posts: 3

HCR
Reply #1 on : Thu January 14, 2010, 17:05:03

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Not the right product?
How can they tell?
Effectively no-one has used it. And the lack of universal use means one of the many real benefits (paying for a report on your own house knowing you'll get one on the house you are buying)isn't present anyway .
I did 2% of them (7)
In every case I got positive feedback from sellers &, in a couple of cases, from buyers who found it really useful.
Just because no-one is promoting it doesn't mean it's not the right product.
Voluntary take-up?
Unless it's promoted as the only sensible thing to do, it's as likely as bankers voluntarily refusing their bonuses.

admin
Posts: 1

Re: Just 327 reports lodged since 1 August 2007
Reply #2 on : Thu January 14, 2010, 17:52:48

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Exactly my thoughts, Richard.

Posts: 3

The Irony
Reply #3 on : Thu January 14, 2010, 22:27:20

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Hardly a day goes by where a client doesn't say to me "I thought there was structural survey in the HIP" and when I further educate them about the contents of a HIP the reply I then get "well the condition survey would make the HIP very useful".

Basicly the CLG BU*&%rd this up good and proper with what would be a useful addition to the the home buying process. Buyers want this type of product but the CLG backed down on adding it to the HIP in the fear of a too costly product and their inabilities to prepare the industry for such a report.

Posts: 3

HCR
Reply #4 on : Mon March 01, 2010, 19:16:26

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I agree 100% with Dan Walters. The HCR makes good commercial
sense. It's a fraction of the cost of a surveyors report and
is simply good value for money. It gives the buyer of a residential
property peace of mind. If a property is sold with an HIP which
includes an HCR which would clearly outlines any defects which may need attention it can only be a good thing. All this for an extra £300 or so on a property that may be selling for c.£200k. It seems ludicrous not to have it included.