Home Information Packs Suspended
May 2010
The government has announced today that with immediate effect Home Information packs are suspended pending legislation to remove them. This means that homes put on the market from 21 May 2010 will not require a Home Information Pack.
HIPs were brought into effect in August 2007 in England and Wales for properties with four or more bedrooms, before being gradually introduced across the rest of the market. They have proved an unpopular measure with home sellers as they have been seen as adding cost and complexity to the process of selling your house.
Mike Rolt, Senior Title Manager from hc solicitors’ Conveyancing Team commented: “Suspending the Home Information Pack restores the previous simpler process for marketing your home and is likely to be well received by home sellers. At hc solicitors, we are in favour of anything which makes life simpler for our clients and welcome the suspension of the pack.”
Energy Performance Certificates (EPCs) which rate a home’s energy efficiency will remain and can still be obtained through your solicitor as part of the conveyancing process. Sellers will be required to commission, but won't need to have received, an EPC before marketing their property, and the Government will be considering how the EPC can play its part in the new drive for a low carbon and eco-friendly economy.
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Mike Rolt