'Jury's out' on Hips
Published On 14 October 2007
British property owners are still doubtful that the much criticised home information packs (Hips) will provide them with any real value when it comes to selling up.That is according to a new survey from independent mortgage broker London & Country (L&C), which indicated that 62 per cent of property owners believe information about their property provided by Hips will not help them sell their homes.
"At the moment, the jury is still very much out on Hips," a spokesperson for L&C said. "Only time will tell."
Commenting on the survey, she noted: "People were very aware that they needed them but there was an overall feeling of not having value for money."
She did, however, note that Hips were forcing people to consider energy efficiency in their homes, something that would probably not be the case if the packs were not mandatory.
"I'm not sure that, if it wasn't forced upon them in the Hip, people would have gone and got independent reports and made the energy efficiency changes. So that is a good thing that will come out of it in the longer term," she added.
