Hips claims to be pivotal

Posted: 25 Aug 2006 12:53:48 GMT

The Association of Home Information Pack Providers (AHIPP) claims that Hips and the contentious Home Condition Reports (HCRs) will be pivotal in house sales of the future.

Property sales falling through can be the most frustrating aspect of the housing chain for many buyers and sellers. Theoretically Hips can solve this problem by making the process smoother.

HCRs should be able to provide the information about a house to potential buyers straight away, thus saving time on surveyors and debating. This would work right the way up the chain as every homeowner would have a pack.

Mike Ockenden, director general of AHIPP, stated: "A huge number of transactions balance tentatively, their fate resting on the purchaser next in line.

"When someone is forced to pull out the whole chain can collapse resulting in lost money and time for buyers and sellers."

Mr Ockenden went on to explain the value of the packs: "The Hip, in conjunction with the HCR will greatly help to ease this problem, with sellers able to get another buyer on board faster than ever before with timely surveys and searches already completed."

However, the fact that the government has chosen to not make HCRs a compulsory element of Hips could, some argue, make the whole exercise pointless.

If some homeowners elect to have an HCR and some don't, a waiting time will still be present because the homeowner without a pack will require a survey for their own purchase.

Unless this position changes AHIPP must continue to improve the public's perception of Hips and convince people that HCRs are worthwhile.


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