Which? criticises Home Infomration Packs
The Consumer Association, Which? claims that there are few signs that Home Information Packs (HIPs) have achieved the aim of improving the process of buying or selling a property as a large part of a HIP is out of date after four to six months; buyers and sellers have problems getting hold of a pack and HIP inspectors often fail to carry out basic checks.
However, this infomration is based on a very small sample size of just 23 estate agents which raises questions about the reliability and the vailidity of the data. It is nothing more than a snapshot and should not be seen as representative of the HIP Industry.
Mike Ockenden, DG of AHIPP, said that it was still very early days for the roll out of HIPs and it was quite clear that estate agents were not yet showing packs to the sellers who pay for them or buyers. The findings of the Which? report also show this.
He went on to say that there was clear evidence from AHIPP members that the legal process was starting to be impacted by having searches available to work on as soon as a buyer’s offer is accepted and this was speeding up the process and reducing costs to buyers. And made a request for estate agents to ensure that buyers and sellers alike see packs and in particular the EPC so that meaningful progress can be made in reducing the high level of carbon emissions from our homes.
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