Hips for all homes by December

Posted: 22 Nov 2007 12:18:42 GMT

The government has announced that Home information packs (Hips) are to become a mandatory part of the home-selling process for all properties in England and Wales from December 14th onwards.

The government has announced that Home information packs (Hips) are to become a mandatory part of the home-selling process for all properties in England and Wales from December 14th onwards.

It is the final stage in the staggered rollout of the packs and will be welcomed by Hips supporters.

Initially, Hips were rolled out to properties with four or more bedrooms in August, before being expanded to include three-bedroom homes in September.

Turbulence in the market postponed further expansion but the government clearly feels that now is the time to continue with the rollout.

The packs, which cost around £300, were designed to speed up the home-buying process but have been criticised for doing exactly the opposite.

However, Rob Kellerman, managing director of Firsthips, said that criticism of Hips is unfounded.

"At the end of the day a Hip costs £300, which you actually save when you buy a property. If you are selling your house for £200,000 you are not going to say 'I'm not selling it anymore because I've got to pay £300'," he said.

"Unfortunately Hips have had a bad reputation before we started having a chance of seeing the benefits. Once people understand what the Hips are about, once they start to get the benefit when they buy, they will see the benefit," added Mr Kellerman.

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