Ahipp slams Tory Hip move

Posted: 02 Oct 2007 11:00:52 GMT

The Association of Home Information Pack Providers (Ahipp) has criticised the Conservative Party over its pledge to scrap Home information packs (Hips).

The Association of Home Information Pack Providers (Ahipp) has criticised the Conservative Party over its pledge to scrap Home information packs (Hips).

During the party's conference in Blackpool, shadow housing minister Grant Shapps said that the Tories would get rid of the packs which have courted controversy since they were first proposed.

Mr Shapps told MPs: "The experts ridiculed them. The industry doesn't want them... and I can announce that the next Conservative government will scrap them."

The packs are a mandatory part of the home-selling process for properties with three or more bedrooms but the shadow housing minister said that they had failed to speed up the process of selling a home.

His comments and pledge to axe Hips have led to an angry reaction from Ahipp, with director general Mike Ockenden slamming the policy.

"Hips have been introduced to make the house buying process more transparent and quicker and this will benefit all buyers," he said.

"It will particularly help first-time buyers, a group of homebuyers that the Conservatives are supposed to be trying to help. Hips mean these cash strapped buyers have all the information they need up front, paid for by the vendor.

"On the one hand Mr Cameron is trying to help first-time buyers by removing the stamp duty burden, on the other he has stated his intention to disadvantage them by scrapping Hips. It doesn't seem to make sense," added Mr Ockenden.

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