The Government has announced the suspension of Home Information Packs with immediate effect from 21 May 2010.

Homes marketed for sale on or after 21 May 2010 will no longer require a Home Information Pack (HIP).

The Energy Performance Certificate (EPC) will be retained. Sellers will still be required to commission, but won't need to have received an EPC before marketing their property.

The objective of obtaining an Energy Performance Certificate (EPC) is to comply with the new EPBD directives implemented in the UK over the past 2 years. The certificate presents several key bits of information. Ratings are represented with a chart with grades from ‘A’ to ‘G’ , where ‘A’ is the most energy efficient and ‘G’ is the least. EPC’s can only be obtained by an accredited energy assessor. The report will suggest improvements in order to make the building more efficient. These suggestions are an indication only and do not have to be implemented. The idea is to provide prospective tenants or purchasers with up to date information on a building’s efficiency presented in a cost graph and also a CO2 emission chart to highlight environmental impact