Trade body insists first day marketing can still happen

A trade association, the Independent Pack Providers Association, has once again taken issue with agents who believe that first day marketing will be banned from January 1 onwards.

A petition on the Downing Street website is calling for the current exemption – which means that agents can market a property as soon as instructed just as long as they have ordered a Home Information Pack – to continue.

IPPA chairman Simon Thomas said: “IPPA is aware of the factually inaccurate petition on the Downing Street site started by Trevor Kent. 

“As has already been clarified in an Estate Agent Today article dated September 15, the full HIP does not have to be in place for marketing to begin as of the end of the year as stated in the HIP regulations. Quite sensibly, only those documents which can be obtained within 48 hours must be in place with the rest of the HIP not being required.”
 
Last week, junior housing minister Iain Wright refused to be drawn on whether the Government would press ahead with its plans to introduce new rules on first day marketing.

He said the new housing minister, Margaret Beckett, wanted to look at the whole issue.

Since then, the rumour mill has been in overdrive with many believing that HIPs could be dropped, leaving only Energy Performance Certificates.