Hips rolled out to all properties
The government’s home information packs (Hips) come into force for all properties being sold in England and Wales from today.
As from midnight last night, any homeowners marketing a one- or two-bedroom property for sale must provide a Hip, complete with energy performance certificate, marking the full rollout of the government’s controversial scheme.
Last week the Conservatives vowed to scrap Hips if elected to government. In the meantime, the Tories have launched their own housing review, tasked to make the moving process easier and cheaper.
With Hips now applicable across the housing market, the department for communities and local government (DCLG) is keen to dispute claims they have slowed down the housing market.
A DCLG spokesman said: “All serious commentators recognise that it is wider issues such as interest rates and other economic factors that impact on the housing market.
“An independent report by Europe Economics published recently found no evidence of any impact of Hips on transactions, prices, or mortgages.”
For this story in depth and more on home information packs visit aboutproperty.co.uk, also part of the Adfero news network.
