HIP's required for all homes

HIP's - the dreaded Home Information Packs are now required for every single property that goes up for sale from today. The idea of HIP's was to actually improve house sales, reduce costs for buyers and provide important information for purchasers too.

The scheme has been rolling in gradually from summer 2007 starting initially with them only being required for houses with 4 bedroom or more. Then a few months later they were required for 3 bed houses. Now they are to include houses with 1 or 2 bedrooms as well.

The Home Information Packs cost about £300-£350 and provide detailed information on the energy rating of each property, sales details, proof of ownership and information about the local councils services and facilities.

There are still speculators that worry the need for HIP's will have a dampening effect on house sales, especially during the troubled times the property market is going through at present. The Royal Institute of Chartered Surveyors worries that it will make it even more difficult for first time buyers to purchase a house, now that HIP's are a legal requirement for all houses, large or small.

There are about 5000 assessors in the UK now that have been trained to provide the information on property energy rating. Many have left jobs to take this role on as a new career. Lets hope there'll be enough work for them in the future.