IHI calls for compensation for home inspectors
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The Institute of Home Inspection is calling on all those qualified or in training to be a home inspector to fight back to keep the Home Information Pack industry alive.
The professional body for home inspectors and domestic energy assessors, IHI will join forces with other organisations such as the National Association of Registered Home Inspectors and the Association of Home Information Pack Providers to create an action group to persuade the government to support the thousands of inspectors and assessors facing financial ruin with new careers in turmoil.
Tony Gordon, secretary of the IHI, says: “Candidates of various backgrounds and ages have given up their time, borrowed substantial money in some cases, and put in a great deal of effort to be properly trained in time for the planned launch on June 1.
“Ultimately, there remains a great belief in the original intention of HIPs to speed up the selling process and make a significant contribution to home owners by providing information on the condition and energy performance of their property.“
The IHI says it hopes to push the government to fix a date when properties with less than four bedrooms will require a HIP and to re-instate the Home Condition Report.
Tony Gordon adds: “It appears that the Royal Institute of Chartered
Surveyors has successfully coerced the government into betraying thousands of energy assessors and home inspectors including some of its own members, who have paid substantial sums of money to become properly trained.”
“The IHI, whilst merely a ‘David’ in the scheme of things, has a commitment to both its members and the community at large and will not rest until the ‘Goliaths’ involved in this debacle also show some commitment to the public good as opposed to their own vested interests.
“We will be writing to the minister to ask what plans are in place to compensate the thousands of dedicated people who are seriously affected by this decision and need some concrete assurances that
there will indeed be a career that they have worked so hard to qualify for.
“We also ask all home inspectors and energy assessors, regardless of whether they are affiliated to another organisation or still in training, to contact us so that we can galvanise efforts for all concerned.”
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Readers' comments (25)
Steve Frost | 15 Jan 2010 2:18 pm
I myself paid a considerable amount to train as a H.I with Home Inspector Training at Manchester. I believe we should be compensated by the government as a HCR is not required, so the work is just not available.
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Colm Whittle | 29 Mar 2010 1:59 pm
I trained as a HI with Home Inspector Training in Manchester. I borrowed a considerable amount of money to complete the training. I believe HIT were just a money generating organisation with all the add on fees we had to pay to progress were appaling. I submitted my completed portfolio 3 times only to be returned for very minor adjustments and it cost me £100 every time. Its a disgrace and I believe we should be compensated as there is no such profession. The government should pay up for their cock up.
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Ron Wood | 23 Apr 2010 10:40 am
I agree totally with Colm,My daughter Terrie and I attended a meeting where an official from 2 Jags department was specifically asked if the goverment intended to drop HCR,we were told that it would need an act of parliment,on the strength of this she comepleted a course with BRE and wasted £10,000
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Leanne Weekes | 20 May 2010 10:56 am
I have heard this morning that HIPs have been scrapped. I am also a qualified Home Inspector and I too paid an awful lot of money (which I had to borrow) to train with HIT Training. I feel totally conned by the previous government but I am also sick of reading negative blogs from people that have no sympathy for educated hard working people that have retrained to become Home Inspectors. These people have no idea what training was involved and imply that Home Inspectors somehow deserve what has happened to them. They think that the qualification is not to a high standard, however, to all of those people I would like to say I have a degree in geography as well as this qualification, so as a degree level educated person I can tell you all that Home Inspectors are fully qualified to assess defects in residential buildings. Home Inspectors deserve compensation and I would love to hear from anyone (maybe in the legal profession) that can help us.
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Anonymous | 21 May 2010 7:41 pm
I totally agree with you! My partner is 9/10th through the course and its all been a total waste of time and money. The government cant expect people to pay to train then suspend the whole thing and not offer some sort of compensation or redundancy pay! Imagine if next time a government wants to introduce a new policy (however good it is) but no one will train to do it because of what has happened here! The only winners from this have been the trainers and the government....the inspectors and home sellers have been ripped off!!
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Andrew H | 22 May 2010 9:14 am
I too would love to hear whether this can be compensated, as also stupidly wasted a large amount of money to do this training.
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Louise Butler | 26 May 2010 8:26 am
I'm in the same boat, I've not quite finished the training as my portfolio is still being put together - only to find my training provider went into liquidatation last month... I'm now writing to my newly elected MP to see what she's doing about it. Perhaps we ought to start a petition?
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Paul Wheatley | 29 May 2010 2:35 pm
I was training with Home Inspector Training in Birmingham and now cannot finish as they have gone bust. Seems like it would be a waste of time to finish anyway. The government should compensate us all for the total waste of time money and effort that we put into what we thought was going to be a career with a future... can you imagine what would happen if they suddenly ended the careers of loads of other trades?
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I FROMHOLD | 4 Jun 2010 6:21 pm
TO ALL HOME INSPECTORS. GET OFF THE FLOOR. WE KNOW WHO IS REALLY TO BLAME FOR THIS AND ITS NOT THE TRAINING SCHOOLS. THE FAULT LIES FAIRLY AND SQUARLEY AT THE GOVERMENT, PAST AND PRESENT. SO DUST YOURSELF OFF AND START LOBBYING YOUR MP AND EURO PARLIMENT THE MORE WE COMPLAIN THE BETTER CHANCE WE WILL HAVE GETTING SOMETHING BACK. LETS ALL JOIN TOGETHER AND GET OUR MONEY BACK. ALL THAT TRAINING......WHAT A WASTE.
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Lee Wells | 6 Jun 2010 7:44 pm
I trained as a H.I in Bristol with HIT. Its a total shambles , i'm £7000 out of pocket. Legislation implemented by the goverment its disgusting and the goverment should stand up and look to repay all those people that were sold the profession .........
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