Home sellers packs given all clear
COMPULSORY home sellers packs costing up to £1,000 could finally be on the way after the House of Lords gave them the all clear.
The Lords' approval last night was the last hurdle for the packs, which are now likely to be introduced by the Government after three years of trying.
The Home Information Pack, part of the Housing Bill, means that sellers must compile a document containing searches, surveys and a home condition report before marketing their property.
The cost of compiling the packs ranges from £350 to a maximum of £1,000.
The Lords' decision overturned a previous vote, taken earlier this month, to make the packs voluntary.
The Conservatives and Liberal Democrats argued the packs were akin to a 'poll tax'.
Trading Standards Officers will enforce the new rules with penalties starting at £200 for a first offence.
Lord Rooker, minister in the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister announced that pilot schemes or 'dry runs', one voluntary and one compulsory, would take place first, possibly in the regions and the new rules would come into force in 2007.
Housing Minister Keith Bill had claimed the packs would only work if they were made compulsory.
He said: 'Voluntary packs will simply not work. The industry, especially the lenders, knows this and has made it clear it cannot invest in, or prepare staffing commitments and technology applications for a process where there is no certainty of universal use of Home Information Packs.'
