In a couple of weeks, we will be moving house. I can’t say I’m looking forward to it terribly, although I know it’s time to go: our house, which served us well while the boys were growing up, and of which we have many so happy memories, is now just too big. So, yes, it is time to move on.
Moving house is a terrifically disruptive business; I’m told it’s the third most stressful event in life, after death and divorce. All that paperwork, all those boxes, all that chaos. But, still, we are moving and are looking forward to a summer sharing our new home with builders, electricians, plumbers and decorators. There’s a lot of work to be done. I only hope that, at the end of it all, it’ll be worth it.
At the start of the process of selling our house, we had to pay for a Home Information Pack. It cost over £300, which Sara paid while I was in London, and for which I keep meaning to reimburse her. A man with a clipboard came round one afternoon to carry out the inspection. The HIP, when it arrived, told us nothing we didn’t know already. The Energy Performance Certificate (required as a consequence of a European directive) informed us that the house is not terribly energy efficient. Given that the property was built over 150 years ago with walls of solid stone, it didn’t come as a huge surprise. Neither, I imagine, did it surprise our buyers.
HIPs were, of course, meant to speed up conveyancing, by providing buyers with a complete set of pertinent information at the start of the sale process. Did it work in our case? Not really; our buyers’ solicitors decided, quite rightly, to commission their own search, on the basis that the search provided by the HIP company was a personal one, not issued by the council’s local land charges department. They also raised a number of pre-contract enquiries in addition to the standard ones we had answered. There were also further delays, with which I shall not bore you. In all, it took some ten weeks before contracts were exchanged.
The HIP didn’t help at all; it was still a painful process. The £300 odd that we stumped up was a straightforward waste of money for which we feel we had nothing in return.
This week, our removal man came round to assess the job. Naturally, he mentioned the election and said he was delighted that the Conservatives had promised to abolish HIPs. “They’ve cost me loads of money,” he said. “People didn’t want to pay for them in a difficult housing market, so they just made things worse. More houses should go on the market if HIPs are scrapped; people should start moving again.”
Yesterday, we delivered on our pledge. My colleague, Grant Shapps, the Housing minister, announced that the need for buyers to commission HIPs has been suspended pending legislation for their permanent abolition.
Too late for me (or for Sara), I’m afraid, but still in good time to boost the spring selling season.
Glad to hear that the HIPS are now to be consigned to history. They have been an absolute nightmare and have not helped anyone at all.
Hope the move goes well and I look forward th hearing much more baout the changes the new government are making.
First signs of Conservatism working. France have a similar scheme whereby vendors have to pay for an “official” report to say their house has no asbestos, or termites. (Doesn’t matter it seems if the house is built on shaky foundations) If you fail to sell within the year, you have to pay for another report, as if someone may have come and sneaked in tons of asbestos.
New Labour must get their bright ideas from Europe who are the experts at dreaming up throttling, useless, and harmful legislation. When are we to have a referendum before we sink with Greece ? The only good decision of Gordon’s was to keep us out of the Euro. Now let’s get away from the barmy bureaucrats of Brussels. Don’t forget we help pay for these people. Would it help to reduce the national debt I wonder if we didn’t have to pay them ? Every little helps, as a well known business advises us.
Best of luck in the new abode, and also the job. Challenging, I’m sure.
WHY did you believe your Solicitor that a personal search is not as a reliable as a LA one? Did you ask why? Is it just that you think that Solicitors are untouchable. EVERY time I’ve had to deal with these ‘professionals’ they’ve lost cheques, documents, delayed writing letters (and so transactions), over-charged, threatened to withdraw their services following the slightest criticism… and on. Have you ever tried to get one Solicitor to listen and take on a complaint against another? I assure you it is a formidable task!!
Just because they have a law qualification they think they are something special. Many other people serve our society, making the wheels go round, but don’t expect special treatment
The source information is identical for a personal search and the LA one. You were ‘done’!!
Of course the HIP told you nothing you didn’t know already!! The WHOLE POINT is that it TELLS the purchaser!!! Are you missing something or not even bothering to understand!!
Can’t understand the point Mesur is making. HIPs give different (unwanted and unrequested by buyer and seller) information to that of the local council which the vendor has to pay for. HIPs are typical New Labour, bureaucracy creating, unproductive and uneccesary work. They are the hallmark of an all controlling government who require the tax payer to pay to have its life micro managed, as if he was incapable of taking responsibility for himself.
On the theme of responsibilty, I was delighted to see it take front row in the Queens Speech. What we are now waiting to see is the finer definition of this word and from whom is it to be required ? Will it be government, the big banks and industries or will it extend to the individual ? If it extends to the individual, to whom or what does he/she owe responsibility ? We are waiting for this fine word to be highlighted and applied in every walk of life from fat cat bankers, city suits down to dole frauds and litter louts all of whom, in tandem with New Labour, have helped to bring this country into the state it now finds itself in.
Consigning HIPs to the bin is a fine start. Let’s hope the good work is to continue in this vein. There is so much rubbish to be cleared. Let’s just hope that “responsibility” doesn’t go the same way as the in word “accountability” bandied about for so long. Used by all, applied by few.
Of course, our dear leader, Gordon told us the Conservatives would create unemployment. Here’s the first, unemployed “Hipsters”.
On the theme of responsibilty, I was delighted to see it take front row in the Queens Speech. What we are now waiting to see is the finer definition of this word and from whom is it to be required ? Will it be government, the big banks and industries or will it extend to the individual ? If it extends to the individual, to whom or what does he/she owe responsibility ? We are waiting for this fine word to be highlighted and applied in every walk of life from fat cat bankers, city suits down to dole frauds and litter louts all of whom, in tandem with New Labour, have helped to bring this country into the state it now finds itself in.
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