What are the new HIPs requirements for house builders?
From 31 March 2008 new HIPs regulations require that: 1. In England, where a new home is to be marketed, the HIP must include a sustainability certificate (which is a certified assessment of the home against the standards of the Code of Sustainable Homes). This new requirement will only apply to new homes being designed or constructed or that have been constructed but never occupied – not to existing properties that are being converted. Transitional measures mean that the new rules will only apply to those homes that are at the beginning of the construction process rather than to homes that are already in the process of being built. 2. The current arrangements in England & Wales, under which personal search companies may use insurance to back up their searches where they are unable to access data in local authority records, will be extended until 1 January 2009. Hatchers can advise developers on the need to include the new certificates in the HIPs and to which properties this requireme
