Homeowners no longer need HIPs
May 20, 2010
Just two weeks into the electoral victory the new coalition government has scrapped the controversial Home Information Packs that were brought in by the Labour party back in 2007 and have been causing controversy ever since. Homeowners have been upset by the hundreds of pounds that they have had to shell out on these packs to sell their properties, so the news will be welcomed by those considering selling up in the near future.
Whilst the government has now scrapped the HIPs there is one element of the pack that will remain in place, and this is the EPC or Energy Performance Certificate, which will still need to be provided so that prospective buyers can see what the energy efficiency of the property is and what the potential for improvement might be.
The ConDem coalition has now confirmed that homeowners will now no longer have to provide the full HIP in order to sell their property. This move will save the average homeowner around £250 off the cost of selling their property. Grant Schapps, the new Housing Minister, said that the move showed just how committed the new government was when it came to getting down to business as quickly as possible.
He said that the decision to scrap the HIPs meant that homeowners could focus on getting their properties sold without having to find hundreds of pounds upfront to pay for the HIP.
The Housing Minister said: ‘Today the new Government is ensuring that home information packs are history. This is a great example of how we are determined to get straight down to work and cut pointless red tape which is strangling the market. By suspending home information packs today, it means that home sellers will be able to get on with marketing their home without having to shell out hundreds of pounds upfront. We are committed to greener housing so from now on all that will be required will be a simple energy performance certificate.’
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