Hips to apply to 3-bed homes from September 10

The government has announced that Home Information Packs will apply to three-bed properties from September 10th.

Hips were introduced for homes with four beds and above on August 1. The original implementation was delayed because the government believed there not enough trained energy assessors to issue Energy Performance Certificates, a vital component of Hips.

The government said it would soon make a further announcement on rolling out Hips and EPCs to other properties.

Communities Minister Baroness Andrews said: “We are now ready to start rolling out Hips and EPCs to the next part of the market as promised, and improve a home buying and selling process which currently is not working for consumers or the environment.”

The government said that Hip providers were taking five days on average to produce a pack.