One in three Hips ‘are unsatisfactory’

Posted 15/03/2010

A worrying number of Home Information Packs (Hips) are unsatisfactory for those going through the process of residential conveyancing.

This is according to research published this week by Trading Standards and the Property Codes Compliance Board, which suggested that 30 per cent of the Hips provided by estate agents are unsatisfactory.

Spot checks by the organisations revealed that there were regular problems with the technical issues surrounding searches, as well as with the provision of important information on subjects such as the complaints procedure.

The findings have led property experts to call for stricter regulations on Hips in order to prevent them from becoming “a waste of time”.

Hips have been around since 2007, but they were made mandatory for virtually all properties sold in England and Wales in April 2009.

They typically cost between £200 and £400 and can be drawn up by estate agents, the sellers themselves or conveyancing solicitors.