11th hour climbdown on HIPs

Posted on 22 May 2007 by Ray Boulger

Be the first to comment

Communities Secretary Ruth Kelly will "update" (the Government likes euphemisms) MPs on HIPs by making a statement in the Commons at 3.30. this afternoon. Both the BBC and Channel 4 are saying that she will announce that the start date for HIPs will be deferred.

After all the bluster from the Government that there would be enough energy efficiency assessors by 1 June Housing Minister Yvette Cooper admitted today that only 2,000 inspectors had so far passed their exams, whereas she accepts at least 3,000 are needed. However, she failed to say how many had been accredited to provide the energy efficiency reports, the next step after passing their exams. One can draw one's own conclusions from the failure to give this figure.

After the debacles over SIPPs, Pension Term Assurance and the Alternative Secured Pension this is just the latest example of the Government ignoring advice from professionals practicing in the relevant field and then being forced to back down at the 11th hour.

Categories: Property market, HIPs

Post a Comment

Please keep your comments relevant. Charcol reserves the right to edit or delete comments.

The blog postings on this site solely reflect the personal views of the authors and do not neccessarily represent the views, positions, strategies or opinions of Charcol Limited. All comments are made in good faith, and neither Charcol Limited nor Ray Boulger will accept liability for them.

Terms & conditions

Your initial mortgage consultation is obligation free. There will be a minimum fee for our mortgage service of £450, of which £150 is payable when you apply, and we will retain the commission from the mortgage lender. Alternatively, you can choose the fee only option which is typically 0.65% of the amount borrowed. The precise amount will depend on your circumstances and mortgage loan amount, and will be discussed and agreed before you make a mortgage application.

YOUR HOME MAY BE REPOSSESSED IF YOU DO NOT KEEP UP REPAYMENTS ON A MORTGAGE OR ANY DEBT SECURED ON IT

Legals

John Charcol is a trading style of Towergate Financial (West) Ltd, which is authorised and regulated by the Financial Services Authority; our registration number is 147692. John Charcol Associates LLP is an appointed representative of Towergate Financial (West) Ltd, which is authorised and regulated by the Financial Services Authority.  Registered office: Towergate House, Eclipse Park, Sittingbourne Road, Maidstone, Kent ME14 3EN. Registered in England No: 02292688.  This mortgage site is only directed at persons within the UK.   The FSA does not regulate some investment mortgage contracts.  Calls may be recorded for training and monitoring. Max call charge from a BT landline is 3.9p per minute. Calls from other networks may vary.