BRE and RICS to regulate HIs and DEAs

Following its calls for greater transparency in the implementation of the home information pack (HIPs) scheme, the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors (RICS) has announced that it expects to become an approved certification scheme regulator for home inspectors (HI) and Domestic Energy Assessors (DEA). This follows an announcement from the Building Research Establishment (BRE) last week that Quest Associates is to become its exclusive technology partner as part of its bid to operate a certification scheme for energy assessors and home inspectors.

Under the HIPs initiative, which will be rolled-out nationally in June 2007, home inspectors or domestic energy assessors will produce voluntary home condition reports and mandatory energy performance certificates in an attempt to make the home buying process quicker and easier for buyers and sellers.

Last month, the RICS voiced its concerns over whether the current development of the scheme and regulatory standards was in the best interest of consumers, calling on the Department for Communities and Local Government (DCLG) to work closer with the industry to ensure a "level playing field" is being operated.

Supportive of the BRE and RICS initiatives, Chief Executive of Energy-Assessors .com, Stephen Callaghan, said: ‘Certification is a key step to getting into this area of business once you have qualified, so it is important that the market has come forward with at least 2 Certification Scheme options for our home inspector and energy assessor customers to choose from. The RICS have joined BRE and SAVA to say they will be offering a Scheme, but at this early stage, no costings have been provided, although they say they will be offering discounts to their own members. Recent press releases from the RICS have served to confuse many in the profession of their negative stance on HIPs. This news suggests that they have now chosen to take a more proactive approach to the support and certification of home inspectors and energy assessors than they have in the last few months.'

Commenting, RICS says: ‘RICS is working with DCLG officials to ensure that RICS' proposals are placed in front of the secretary of state for approval as soon as possible.'

The government is on-track to launch the mandatory HIPs scheme nationally on June 1st 2007.