3
Dec
Hips 'offer a lot of benefits'
Home information packs (Hips) can offer numerous benefits to consumers, an
industry expert has claimed.
Mike Ockenden, director general of the Association of Home Information Pack Providers (AHIPP), has spoken out
against the criticism from opposition parties and commented that
consumers like the packs, describing them as "useful".
He said: "65 per cent of consumers said they found the information
in the home information packs useful."
According to a survey carried out by Ipsos MORI on behalf of the
AHIPP, 60 per cent of respondents stated that the information
provided in the property information questionnaire - which is part
of a Hip - is helpful for buyers.
More than half (57 per cent) of those questioned agreed that more
upfront information should be made available to home buyers about
the state of the property before a purchase is completed.
The government launched Hips, which include documents such as searches and
surveys on the property being sold, in August 2007.
