... the announcement of HIPs for three bedroom properties arrived unseasonably early last Friday. With many observers expecting the four bedroom rule to be with us for the foreseeable future, the news that from September 10th, HIPs will be needed on half of all properties being marketed came somewhat as a surprise. Although we have found that HIPs seem to be going smoothly albeit with a few minor teething problems, we await with interest this rapid increase in volumes and the potential impact it will have on the service that providers will be able to offer.
Local Authority Personal Searches
We have always highlighted our concerns about the delivery times and acceptability of personal local authority searches within HIPs. Recent feedback from one agent revealed that our concerns about delivery times seem well-founded. A HIP provider had promised the agent a turnaround of 5 working days to produce a HIP, but the searches have delayed this by three weeks. We remain convinced that Authorised local authority searches are the most effective solution and await the statistics from buyer’s solicitors that are presented with HIPs on how many will accept personal searches.
The press release on this topic is available here:
http://www.thepartnershiplimited.com/Documents/The%20Partnership%20-%20HIP%20Rejections%20010807.pdf
EPC Charts
One of the more interesting challenges set for agents and providers was the inclusion of EPC charts on property particulars. The interim regulations that are in place until the end of the year allow properties to be marketed when a HIP has been commissioned which has lead to confusion about whether the EPC charts still need to be included. To clarify the position - the rule is that when an EPC is available, the corresponding chart MUST be included on particulars. If it can be shown that despite an agent's best efforts, it has not been possible to produce an EPC by the time the particulars are printed, the charts do not have to be included.
LawPack Self-Help Kit
We are delighted to announce that the LawPack self-help kit for HIPs started shipping last Monday. Copies can be ordered directly from our website:
http://www.thepartnershiplimited.com/html/lawpack.html
Reapit integration
Estate agents using Reapit can take advantage of the direct link now available between RPS and our HIP ordering system. Users can order a HIP with just several mouse clicks, with all the necessary information passed directly to our system.
More details can be found here:
http://www.thepartnershiplimited.com/html/technology.html
Media Coverage
Our concerns about the acceptability of personal searches in HIPs were highlighted with stories in the Daily Express, The Observer and The Negotiator, and we were delighted to have an article on the current position with HIPs published in The New Law Journal.
