黑洞社区

The Conservative party has promised to scrap home information packs (Hips) if elected.

The pledge was one of a number of policies announced at its conference before a possible snap election this autumn.

Grant Shapps, the shadow housing minister, told delegates: 鈥淗ome information packs are clumsy, ineffective and useless. The experts ridiculed them; the industry doesn鈥檛 want them; the market doesn鈥檛 need them.鈥�

However, the policy appeared to ignore an EU directive that every house should have an energy performance certificate, which is a large part of Hips.

The shadow minister told 黑洞社区 he had intended to mention energy performance certificates (EPCs) but had not thought it necessary.

He said: 鈥淲e aren鈥檛 scrapping EPCs, and we know we can鈥檛 scrap them as they are subject to an EU directive. That鈥檚 why I didn鈥檛 mention it in my speech.鈥�

Instead, the Conservatives want energy performance to be assessed by private energy suppliers. Under a Conservative government, companies would employ assessors to conduct short house visits and assessments, which could then be taken to the estate agent when the house went on the market.

Shapps said he had been in discussion with energy suppliers, including Centrica, and expected the revamped EPC to cost less than 拢50, significantly lower than the 拢500 cost of a Hip.

Shapps also said the Tories would abolish stamp duty for first-time buyers on homes costing less than 拢250,000.

The party also promised to replace the government鈥檚 housing density targets with community housing projects dictated by local authorities.