HIPs: Home Information Packs HIPS Roll Out To All Houses

Date Published:

27/05/2008

A Vendor's Experience

Gillian and Jeremy Webster put their four-bedroom Edwardian semi in Surrey on the market, hoping to buy a four-bedroom house in Hampshire. However, they were not happy to find themselves doubly stung for some of the expenses involved. "We signed a contract with the estate agent and next day someone was sent round to take photos, draw up the floor plans and do the energy assessment," explains Gillian. "He noted the lack of insulation in our loft and seemed concerned about how many energy-saving lightbulbs we had, but didn't look at the boiler or ask about the energy efficiency of the fridge or our fuel bills, which I thought was odd."

Gillian goes on to say, "The estate agent absorbed the costs of the EPC and we had to pay our solicitor for local authority and water and drainage searches. What really bugs me is that the house we had got our eye on went on the market just before 1st August 2007, so didn't require a HIP and we had to pay for all the searches there, too."

Are HIPs Here To Stay

Well, they're holding their own, and unless the Government performs a U-turn, they are here to stay. But it remains to be seen whether there are enough Energy Assessors to cope with the influx of all homes. So far there have been no adverse reports. From January 1st 2008, the completed HIP- including the Energy Performance Certificate- now has to be ready when you put your home on the market, so time really will be of the essence.

Useful Links

Government Information on HIPS www.homeinformationpacks.gov.uk

Directory of Local Domestic Energy Assessors www.dealocal.co.uk

Association of Home Information Pack Providers www.hipassociation.co.uk

Communities and Local Government Portal www.communities.gov.uk/localgov

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