Government U-turn on HIPs |
The Government has recently announced a major change to the Home Information Packs (HIPs) due to come in to force next year. Housing Minister Yvette Cooper said the packs will no longer require a Home Condition Report (HCR) to be included.
The HCR was to be a major part of the packs, telling buyers about the state of a property. However, Yvette said that the survey part of the packs needed further testing before coming in to force.
The packs are also supposed to include information on local searches, the title deeds, energy efficiency measurements and answers to some standard questions. They were aimed at reducing the time between an offer being accepted and the completion date. However, the packs have come up against quite a lot of resistance, with many believing they will just cost people more money. Could you trust a survey paid for by the person selling the house? Many buyers may decide to get their own done anyway.
The plans had also met opposition from other parties, with Tory Michael Gove, saying the plans are now "a complete shambles".