Institute of Home Inspection Call For OFT Enquiry into Panels

'immoral'

Submitted by: MikeC (Admin) on 27-Oct-08 03:41:08 PM

The Institute of Home Inspection (IHI) is calling for the OFT or Competition Commission to launch an enquiry "into the activities of the panel management system within the house buying and selling industry."

The institute, which held its first annual general meeting on 5th July, is claiming that surveyors and energy assessors are receiving just 40% of the fee panel managers charge clients.

"Obtuse and immoral"

The newsletter blasts panel managers for doing "little more than diary management", and calls the practice of pocketing the remaining 60% balance as "obtuse and immoral".

It blames the panel management system for the gradual "failure" over the last thirty years to maintain both service and professional ethics, warning the trend will continue unless Government and industry impose "radical change".

Read the IHI's latest newsletter in full which includes 'An Assessor's Tale' and an amusing parody on the lyrics to The Beatle's classic, 'I Am The Walrus" - Re-titled 'I am the hedgeman'.

Neil Kurz
Posts: 1

Panels
Reply #1 on : Mon October 27, 2008, 20:08:39

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ANY self-employed domestic energy assessor thinking they are typically earning 40% of the overall survey fee is misguided. (Employed DEAs don't count) Yes, the building survey/mortgage valuation world may operate with fee splits like that, but the domestic EPC work absolutely does not- as evidenced by HIP prices so low its somewhat impossible to add 'the other 60%' and have a HIP offering that is competitive.

The Government will not and have no place in resolving the problems with the panel management process- that is exactly what professional bodies are for, defending their members and ensuring that professional standards can be maintained!

Some very repetitive messages in the newsletter each of which may be factually correct, but the world moves on at quite a pace. It would be good to see IHI punch a bit harder in the wider DEA/HI community.

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