HIPS not happening - just a Gove hiccup

'OOPs, Gove did it again.' ( sang to the tune of Britney's classic pop ditty) 

On Friday, Tory naughty boy, Michael Gove, dropped another clanger, having decided to proclaim that his party would look to re-introduce the woeful HIPS in their next term.

However, following Gove's radio proclamation, his party has come out to deny they would be proceeding with any such re-introductions.

“The last Labour government’s attempted reforms were a failure. Labour’s home information packs duplicated costs and no-one trusted them.”

Maybe the same could be said for Michael Gove.

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Industry comments on HIPs

I'm sure regular PropertyHawk visitors know that we will be celebrating the end of the woefully wasteful HIPS.

But here's some other reflection from the property industry to the end of this pointless exercise in dubious job creation.

Read the Times view on it
Follow Grant Schapps on Twitter as his sorts out Labour fiasco
Read Propertyweeks take on it all
Read RICS thoughts on the scrapping of HIPS

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HIPs are no more - history!

The need for a landlord for a Home Information Pack HIPs before they sell their property is no more.

History!

HIPs have been consigned to the bin marked - 'politicians bad ideas'

I blame HIPs existence on the fact that politicians had too much time on their hands with which to come up with idiot ideas.

At least with the huge budget deficit they've got important things to focus on. Thank goodness for that....

So now If landlords do want to sell up before the predicted 40% CGT rate comes in you wont need a HIP.

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The HIP's industry cry for their salvation. Bless 'em!

I've just received another whining press release from the "Hip Reform Group" trying to get some support for their campaign to save themselves following the news that the Tories are going to get rid of them.

Talk about a self serving joke of an industry sector.

They even call themselves the "Hip Reform Group" which makes me think that even they dont think HIPs as they stand work very well.

If you are at all interested in saving this joke industry go and listen to their bleating cries as they limp towards the grave.

Read their latest whinging release below. You could cry for them if they weren't such a complete waste of time and money. Bless!

Here they whinge -

"We wrote earlier this week to inform you of the establishment of an action group – www.hipreformgroup.com - that has been formed to act as a focus point for those within the industry who believe that the abolition of home information packs would not be a positive step for either the industry or the consumer.

Those who advocate abolition are aggressive in their attack on the industry labelling us in some reports this week as ‘parasitic’ and calling upon us to ‘get real jobs’!
As can be seen there is a lot of anger out there!

Our primary aim is to inform and to press for reform on the back of the HIP. There is reference to a ‘fighting fund’ - this is not a main priority and hopefully will not put supporters off from registering their support.

It’s FREE to join and only takes a few seconds! Unless we all join together and show that we are united in our belief and actions, I am afraid there appears little hope for us as an industry if the Conservative Party is elected. Please therefore register if you have not already done so and also call upon family, friends, colleagues, customers and suppliers who support the aim to join up and help us get our voice heard."

It beggars belief!

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HIPS - should we keep them?

We are fools for statistics and surveys but we should really always question the validity of these supposed indicators.

We all feel that HIPs have largely been a waste of time, and changed very little if anything in the property buying process. Whenever I mention them to estate agents they smirk and raise their eyes, however they have probably enjoyed some of the affiliate commission they have pulled out from home sellers whilst they've not actually been able to sell any properties.

However, The Association of Home Information Pack Providers (AHIPP) have just commissioned a survey that supposedly proves the validity of these costly packs, and they are going to use this 'research' to lobby the likes of Grant Schapps and other Tories who are wanting to get rid of this nonsensical Labour whimsy.

Here's what 'their research discovered'. (I've added some thoughts in grey.)

CONSUMERS & HIPS – THE TRUTH REVEALED ( bold title - maybe over egging?)

New research shows what British consumers really think of Home Information Packs

New research out today reveals the majority of Home Information Pack consumers are satisfied with the delivery of their HIP, with further findings demonstrating the ease with which they were completed and support for the provision of up front information in the home buying process.

The Ipsos MORI survey, commissioned by the Association of Home Information Pack Providers (AHIPP), ( not biased then ) reveals the following:

Six out of seven of those surveyed (85%) say that the need to obtain a HIP did not influence their decision about whether or not to sell their home. ( so 15% less property for sale because of them - great! )

60% said the information provided by the seller in the Property Information Questionnaire (PIQ) is useful to buyers, with nearly three quarters (73%) saying it took less than 20 minutes to complete and 75% finding it easy to complete ( does the fact that they're easy to fill out make them worth having?)

A majority (57%) agree that home buyers should be provided with more upfront information about the condition of the property that they are buying. ( ok? so 43% don't .......surely everyone would like as much information as possible, if its FREE - bizarre question)

Only a minority (30%) disagreed that providing home buyers with more information about a property before making an offer would improve the buying and selling process. (this isn't even a point - who wrote this survey?)

Around four out of five (82%) agree that the process of buying and selling properties takes too long. ( blimey, this is now getting embarrassing)

Did they not think of asking if those people who had sold or bought a property using a Home Information Pack thought it was worthwhile or not? Or if anyone thinks it worthwhile paying out for them? Funny that.

But would you if you were the trade body involved with making money from these questionable documents.

Lets keep EPCs and ditch the dodgy HIP, its time for a replacement. Listen up Tories lets see that you can see through the lies, damned lies and statistics and use some common sense.

Please leave your thoughts on HIPS.

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HIPS are a failed Government idea that need to be scrapped

Gillian Charlesworth, RICS director of external affairs, said "It is clear that the HIP has failed to improve the consumer's experience of buying and selling homes."

Is there anything good to say about them?

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Home Information Packs - What a Bad Idea.

I'm in the process of selling my own home.

Not one of the three estate agents who came to value it had anything positive to say about Home Information Packs.

All were frustrated about the delays it created in bringing much needed property on to the market and all recounted how little interest buyers had in their contents.

Can anyone out there think of anything positive about HIPs?

Can we remember which of the long line of 'bright spark' incompetents came up with the idea?