28-03-2008
Salaries of HIPs assessors uncovered
News by Adfero for Simply Business - independent providers of public liability insurance, business finance, landlord insurance, buy-to-let mortgages & commercial mortgages.
Some certifiers working as part of the government's home information pack (HIP) initiative are earning an annual salary of less than £10,000, it has emerged.
Reports from Building.co.uk have revealed that a majority of those employed as energy performance certifiers are inspecting homes at a daily rate of between £30 and £45.
"During the initial recruitment drive the communities department outlined unrealistic and inflated salaries as a tactic to draw recruits," said Paul Staley, the managing director of ERS, a firm which manages a number of energy assessors.
The cost of training for such a role is between £3,000 and £5,000 and it has been confirmed by the government that, up to January 23rd 2008, the UK has a total of 6,467 registered energy assessors.
Despite initial fears of a shortage of qualified individuals, actual numbers have acted to suppress average earnings for this role and there are now fears it could fall below £8,000, the publication has claimed. HIPs were launched in the UK under the provisions of the Housing Act 2004.