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Landlords can't shoot from the Hip

10th April 2007 | back to article listings BACK    print this article PRINT

As the June 1st deadline looms from the introduction of Home Information Packs (Hips), it seems that despite the rampant speculation, counter-speculation, argument and counter-argument, they're going to arrive on time.

So, are they going to be a landlord's best friend or worst enemy?

Well, according to Lesley Sorridilmi, the head of business development at Hip Hip Hooray, there has been quite a lot of bad feeling towards their introduction thus far.

"The industry has probably been anti-Hip in general ... there is a very small nucleus of those who are strongly against Hips," she remarked.

However, Ms Sorridilmi was also quite pragmatic about their impending introduction.

"It's going to happen, we've got to do it and we are just going to have to get on with it," she added.

Furthermore, a recent report on Landlord Expert revealed that Hips could be a major source of problem for investors when trying to sell as a property, due to a shortage of inspectors qualified to conduct energy performance evaluation. An energy performance certificate is set to be a vital part of the document, as the government continues its drive to reduce the carbon emissions from UK homes. However, only 1,000 fully-qualified inspectors are currently available - some way short of the 7,500 target.

And while Mike Ockenden, director general of the Association of Home Information Pack Providers (Ahipp) told the news source that an additional 2,200 would be raring to go by the deadline, Kevin Martin from the Law Society warned that it would take a "miracle" to have enough inspectors ready.

So, it seems that Hips are regarded as something of a necessary evil in some quarters, but are there any parties extolling their virtues and counting the days until the start of June?

Well, according to Paul Broadhead of Ahipp, everyone should be pleased about their impending arrival.

"Packs will help to speed up the entire house buying and selling process, making the transaction more transparent and offering huge benefits for all involved," he explained.

This is a view shared by the Department for Communities and Local Government, which states that increased transparency, certainty, efficiency, smoothness and speed will all be the direct results of the packs' mandatory elements - including the energy performance certificate.

However, it seems that the large majority of landlords aren't convinced, with a poll conducted by the National Association of Estate Agents finding that 93 per cent of members wanted Hips to be repealed.

This is a press release by Assetz also available at http://press.assetz.co.uk/articles/3398.html. Alternatively, please see our full press release archive.

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