Whilst the housing market may be taking a bath, many people (OK… Kirstie Allsports) are tempted to blame the introduction of HIPS which are now required on all new homes in England & Wales. But the price of providing these seems to be falling by the day. There are now apparently 10,000 trained Energy Assessors and they are getting as little as £60 a house for their efforts. Methinks they’d be better off with a window cleaning round. Many estate agents are swallowing the extra costs within their fee structures in any event.Compared with the huge increases in stamp duty on property purchases, brought in by Chancellor Gordon Brown in his first budget in 1997, the cost of HIPs is nothing but a minor irritant.
Omar,
ReplyDeleteThis reminds me of these stories of Japanese soldiers having spent 30 years wandering around lost the jungle, re-emerging into civilisation and carrying on as if the war was still going on.
I don't think condos in Costa Rica is quite flavour of the month anymore.
I didn't know they did HIP's in Costa Rica?
ReplyDeleteTalk about off the topic.
SPAM emails, and now SPAM bloggers grrrrr