Tony Bryer wrote:
On Fri, 21 Jul 2006 17:41:58 +0100 Joe wrote :
If that was true they would already exist, and would not
require government compulsion. You are aware that many
car dealers commission independent reports in advance of
any sale? That does not and did not require law, it makes
sense. If it made equal sense with houses, it would have
been done long ago, by estate agents looking for a USP.

No, because no indemnity insurer would have offered cover on the
required basis (the same was true initially when Approved
Inspectors were allowed to set up in competition with LABC) and no
sane person would produce such reports without insurance. The HIP
market is/was too big for insurers to ignore.


Is the need for large-scale insurance cover not a comment
on the perceived accuracy and usefulness of the report?