Personal HIPS experiences - please let us know.

[Penners]

We've had quite a lot of chat on the forum about the effect that Home Information Packs are going to have, particularly on period property sales.

As HIPS are going to become a legal requirement in less than 3 weeks, it occurs to me that it would be interesting to hear from anyone who gets first-hand experience of these, either as a buyer or a seller.

In particular (as mentioned on another thread running at the moment) it would be good to know how the energy assessment is carried out. What does the inspector look for; what does he/she stupidly ignore (e.g. thatch, apparently!); do they take a sensible, holistic approach to assessing the property, or do they just blindly tick boxes?

And the bottom line: do those involved in the sale/purchase of a period property feel that the HIP helped or hindered the process?

Do let us know your experiences.

[Nemesis]

And in the end how much will it matter to someone keen on buying a house?

As far as I'm concerned many 'improvements' would put me off!

I think this might be the death knell for many traditional windows however - the placcy windows will be installed to get a sale. It's happening now, it will accelerate I'm sure.

[Penners]

A glimmer of hope, maybe?

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/main.jh ... rown15.xml[/url]

[Nemesis]

http://www.bdonline.co.uk/story.asp?sec ... de=3086442

[Penners]

What worries me is the Law of Political Perversity. The more experts and learned bodies who argue against this soddin' stupid plan, the more politicians will dig their heels in.

They're all terrified of that dreaded spectre - the "U-Turn".

[Nemesis]

This is from the wonderful meeja roundup e-mail bulletin 'News Junkie'of Building Design's Ian Martin, received today:

http://www.bdonline.co.uk





HIP SHAKING
Does anyone else get the impression that the current interregnum at Whitehall would be perfectly happy to see the Home Information Pack quietly evaporate? Less than a fortnight to go and the situation's about as clear as that Antony Gormley fogbox at the Hayward. The RICS has mounted a judicial review. The Lords are sabre-rattling. The Law Society has warned that the searches provided in HIPs may not satisfy mortgage lenders. The National Association of Estate Agents doesn't like HIPs, which is a strong argument in their favour, maybe...
http://tinyurl.com/2ze9vz
Of course. Just when we thought every possible problem had been flagged up, 'software glitches threatened yesterday to scupper the launch of Home Information Packs...IT programmes to measure home energy ratings have failed to analyse the correct data...'
http://property.timesonline.co.uk/tol/ life_and_style/property/article1801140.ece
'I have spoken to surveyors who say they are being expected to do six of these a day. If people have paid a lot of money and what you get is a statement of the obvious, it will bring the green agenda into disrepute...'
http://money.guardian.co.uk/hips/story/ 0,,2083437,00.html
Packs will cost home owners at least £337m a year more than any savings they encourage, say researchers. The Government originally calculated £97 for each energy audit but 'the shortage of energy assessors could push it even higher, and suggests that fewer than one in five people will act on the advice...'
http://tinyurl.com/2lpsc4
The Trading Standards Institute said its members would not be able to cope with the demand, and that it 'doubted the viability of the scheme...'
http://tinyurl.com/2qtkjs
Energy reports 'will save not an ounce of carbon emissions' says Portillo:
http://tinyurl.com/3d6gou

[Penners]

STOP PRESS

Communities secretary Ruth Kelly has told the House of Commons that the Government is to delay the introduction of the controversial Home Information Packs (HIPs) until 1 August.

However, HIPs are to be phased in more gradually and initially only sellers of houses with four bedrooms or more will have to provide the packs. Fines will still apply if the packs aren't produced.

Smaller homes and flats are set to follow, but Kelly didn't specify when.

The Government had claimed that the introduction of the packs would speed up the house selling and buying process.

However, not enough individuals have been trained to produce the packs and the Government has faced mounting pressure from a disgruntled press and public.

The packs are expected to cost between £300 and £600 to produce. Critics say buyers will not trust the information in HIPs as it will have been produced by the seller, and that as they will not include a structural survey are relatively pointless.

[Moo]

A guarded Hurrah!

[biffvernon]

For sale: Three bedrooms and six studies (with en suites).

[Nemesis]

This is getting away from the thread title I appreciate, but here's a HIPS sob story to wring your heart:


http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/6681779.stm

[CHRIS]

Nemesis

Come on now, remember when this all came along and everyone saw it as a get rich quick scheme all the stories of how much they would make in the first year. A lot of the new inspectors come from totally diffrent work areas and are looking to get a few quid. They should have seen it coming or just refused to accept the risks in changing professions also the home condition report is not even compulsory yet.

Surveyors before all this came along were not paid that much and I would guess a bit less than a Health service manager! all they saw is that there would be a need for a lot of trained people and this would drive up the prices they could charge.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/business/6658223.stm

Also there are many training companies making a killing from this just have a look at the claims made on any of their websites - £11000 to get trained up.

[Nemesis]

I fully appreciate all that - some did indeed see it as a new career. And yes the training companies have been making a bomb no doubt.

I am not shedding many tears for those affected.

However, it's a fair point that the government said all this was to happen (and indeed as far as I can tell it is still on the agenda) and I suppose many saw it as an opportunity.

I think the Torygraph has been alleging many of those who trained are there to suss out the place for future burgling too.

[Penners]

For sale: Three bedrooms and six studies (with en suites).

[Penners]

it's a fair point that the government said all this was to happen.

I have considerable sympathy for people like the chap in that story. OK - we can all shake our heads and suggest that some people would have used HIPS to make a quick buck, but the great majority of prospective home inspectors will have trained for the job in good faith, spending their own money on the training, in anticipation of getting paid employment from the 1st June. There's nothing dodgy or shameful in that.

They have now been dumped upon from a great height by the Government.

The whole HIPS thing is an unmitigated lash-up from start to finish. The Government went off half-cocked with the scheme in the first place, without adequate consultation with building societies and estate agents - let alone the house-owning public. And now it's fallen apart at the 11th hour, 59th minute.

It's a disgraceful shambles, and Government heads should roll. But will they? Hah!!

[Nemesis]

Yes, it's all a bit like going to war on the strength of believing a country has Weapons of Mass Destruction...