Newsletter - January 2008
Helping agents get to grips with HIPs
15 January 2008
Six months after the introduction of Home Information Packs (HIPs), Sylvia Giles, movewithus HIPs director and Robin King, founding director, reflect on their implementation, the current status of the market and the implications for the future.
movewithus made sure it was prepared well in advance of the introduction of HIPs, conducting trials and honing its service before the rollout started in August. Robin King said: “We saw the introduction of HIPs as a way of improving the lot of the hard pressed and harassed home-moving public. While the industry was pontificating about how difficult they were to produce and who would pay for them, we looked at the critical path of a home-mover and how the HIP could assist that process.”
The full rollout of HIPs came earlier than expected for many in the industry. Sylvia Giles commented: “Since the full rollout last month, we have seen an increase in our already healthy volumes. Given the ups and downs, agents who put their efforts into making sure that their businesses were ready for HIPs have been able to maintain a steady course, despite the uncertainty of their implementation. Many of the original fears, like a lack of Domestic Energy Assessors (DEAs), have proven unfounded. The real challenge for the future is from so-called ‘cowboys’ – a minority of small, local providers who have been providing an incomplete HIP service to many agents and slowing the sale process.”
To help agents, movewithus is launching a ‘HIP Compliance Check’ service. The service allows agents to forward their third-party HIPs to movewithus who will check that they contain all the necessary components required by the Government, adding peace of mind in an environment of non-standardised practices amongst various HIP providers. Additionally, the online ordering process has been streamlined, meaning that agents can now order a HIP in a matter of seconds and track its progress online in real-time.
Robin King believes that the key to success is to make sure that reputable providers embrace legislation which will regulate the industry and enable those providers with the best service, not just the cheapest prices, to be market leaders. In June the Government plan to announce that an EPC will need to be produced before a property can be marketed. It’s also possible that the Government will introduce Home Condition Reports (HCRs) as a mandatory part of the HIP, something that the Association of Home Information Pack providers (AHIPP), strongly recommend.
However, according to Sylvia Giles, the Government have to be cautious about how they implement any new legislation: “HCRs and EPCs before marketing certainly have the potential to improve the sales process and eliminate ‘rogue’ providers, but there are many associated issues that the Government need to consider first – will there be enough Home Inspectors to carry out the HCRs? Will their introduction be detrimental to the already-qualified DEAs? Whatever the Government’s decision, our aim is to smooth the sale process for agents, vendors and purchasers by making our HIPs service as reliable and hassle-free as possible.”
