§ Mr. PatersonTo ask the Secretary of State for Transport, Local Government and the Regions what his estimate is of(a) the number of home inspectors who will be needed to enforce the proposals in the seller's pack and (b) the cost to the taxpayer of policing compliance with the seller's pack. [13808]
§ Ms KeebleHome condition inspection should not be confused with enforcement. The home condition report will be a standard mid-level survey that we propose should be a mandatory part of the seller's pack. This survey will be carried out by accredited professionals who may be surveyors, buildings inspectors or any other professional who satisfies the accreditation body that they have the necessary skills and knowledge.
We anticipate that some 7,000 to 9,000 people will need to have been accredited through the certification regime in order to provide home condition reports. The vast majority of these will be currently practising professionals.
The cost of enforcement would depend on the regime agreed by Parliament. But the assessment provided by L.A.C.O.T.S. of the costs arising from the proposals in the 2000 Homes Bill suggested an average of around £5,000 per annum for each local authority to meet the costs of enforcement work by trading standards officers.