Hips inspections 'unnerving'

Home information packs (Hips) are now required for all sellers looking to put a home with three or more bedrooms on the market, but the packs have continued to be criticised for the way which they have disrupted the residential property sector.

One seller has told the Daily Telegraph that the inspection process left him "in shock" and was "extremely unnerving" because of the way in which the survey was conducted.

The National Association of Estate Agents (NAEA), meanwhile, has said that the introduction of Hips for homes with four or more bedrooms has already had a negative effect on the market, with several members reporting a reduction in the number of properties being put up for sale.

"Our concerns have always been that the introduction of Hips would lead to a lack of supply following implementation," outlined Peter Bolton King, chief executive of the NAEA.

"This does indeed seem to be the case with four bedroom homes and is now likely to be replicated in the three bedroom homes market.

"The next few months will prove crucial in seeing whether Hips are going to cause the sort of problems we feared," Mr Bolton King added.


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