New Property Codes Compliance Board Chairman Appointed

Press release: 13 June 2008

The Property Codes Compliance Board (PCCB) has appointed Richard Footitt as its new Chairman.

Richard, a former senior civil servant with the Department for Communities and Local Government, brings a wealth of relevant experience of the housing sector and the regulatory environment to the Board. He joined the Board in 2007 and takes over from Susan Scott who chaired the Board since its inception in 2006.

Richard said on accepting the Chair, “Current housing market conditions provide as much a challenge for the regulatory body as they do for individual HIP providers and personal search companies, and for the industry as a whole. The Board will wish to work with other regulators, with consumer interests and the industry to make sure that the experience of buying and selling a home is enhanced. I welcome the forthcoming review of both the HIP and Search Codes as the Board continues to develop its own audit and inspection programme in line with good practice.

I look forward to this challenge, and am happy to pay tribute to my predecessor Susan Scott who steered the Board in its formative years to create the successful body that the PCCB is today. Thanks to her stewardship, the PCCB has a solid foundation upon which to develop its role in setting robust standards throughout the personal search and HIP industries and in ensuring the consumer is fully protected.”

Ends

Notes to Editors

The Property Codes Compliance Board was established in September 2006 to independently monitor compliance with the HIP Code and the Search Code. The Codes provide protection for home buyers, sellers, lenders and conveyancers relying on searches and HIPs as part of the home buying process, and include good practice standards, robust insurance requirements and the independent adjudication of complaints. The PCCB has a governing Board, with public interest directors and the Chairman is Richard Footitt. Further information on the PCCB including a listing of all registered firms can be obtained from: Property Codes Compliance Board: www.propertycodes.org.uk.

The HIP Code is sponsored by the Association of Home Information Pack Providers; http://www.hipassociation.co.uk/. The Search Code is sponsored by the Council of Property Search Organisations; http://www.copso.org.uk/.