Mike Ockenden, director general at the Association of Home Information Packs Providers has claimed that the move is simply to manipulate existing government figures its own benefit.
Ockenden said: "The suggestion that there will not be enough energy assessors and home inspectors available to produce Energy Performance Certificates (EPCs) for residential properties in London from the 1st August is nonsense and nothing more than a feeble attempt to manipulate existing Government figures for personal gain.
“London is the biggest commuter town in the UK, with large numbers of the city’s workforce coming in from the Home Counties, where commuting times into London can be as little as 20 minutes. Why anyone should assume that those qualified as energy assessors or home inspectors will not be doing exactly the same is absurd.
“Government’s phased implementation of HIPs, commencing with properties of four bedrooms or more, has been introduced to ensure that there will be more than a sufficient number of assessors available to meet demand from 1st August, making the recommendation for ‘geographical phasing’ entirely redundant. Any suggestion that there will not be enough assessors is both inaccurate and irresponsible and is intended solely to evoke unnecessary alarm.”
