Scott raises Home Report fault

MSP Tavish Scott has sought assurances from the government that no-one selling a house in Shetland will be penalised because of failings in a database.

He said the problem made it impossible for many sellers to offer the Home Report which was now required by law.

Mr Scott wrote to the communities minister to raise the problem after a Shetland solicitor advised him that local surveyors were having difficulties registering Energy Performanc Certificates for many Shetland properties.

He told the minister he had been advised that the database of properties in Shetland was incomplete, and many properties, possibly more than 50 per cent, were not on the register.

Mr Scott said the result was that surveyors were frequently finding themselves unable to register the certificate for a Shetland property, thus meaning the property’s report was incomplete.

He pointed out that this left owners of houses not on the database, who wish to sell their house, unable to do so without breaking the law which requires them to have a report.

In his letter to the minister, Mr Scott sought assurances “that no-one will be prosecuted if they attempt to sell a house without a completed Home Report, if their home is not on the database so that its Energy Performance Certificate cannot be registered.”

He also sought assurances “that no restriction will be placed on the selling of houses not on the database”.

Mr Scott said: “It is regrettable that this problem has arisen, but it has and the minister needs to act. Clearly, no-one should be stopped from selling their home because they are unable, through no fault of their own, to get a Home Report.

“But, with the housing market as difficult as it is, there is also a need to make sure that, within Shetland, all houses are treated the same, so the need for a Home Report should be lifted in Shetland until all houses can get one.”