After many years of campaigning by the National Association of Estate Agents (NAEA), Home Information Packs, more commonly known as HIPs, have been removed from the house buying process with immediate effect.

Estate agents, buyers and sellers throughout the United Kingdom will no doubt be breathing a sigh of relief at the prospect of less bureaucracy and red tape that accompanied the sale of a property. It cannot be denied that this unnecessary system significantly contributed to the stagnation we have seen in the housing market over the past two years.

Since their introduction in 2007, we at the NAEA continually appealed to the previous administration to abolish this ineffective system that has benefited no-one involved in the housing industry – now it seems finally our call has been heard!

Costing many hundreds of pounds, the HIP dissuaded many homeowners wishing to put their house on the market.

We are just thankful that the transition phase between the announcement that HIPs were to be scrapped and this actually getting carried out has been swift and relatively painless.

At the start of the month, we were faced with a confusing political picture in Downing Street and the real prospect of a double stall in the housing market. There was considerable concern that sellers would wait for HIPs to go in order to save a lot of money.

But looking ahead to June, the outlook is good. We no longer face uncertainty, but instead, more stable government and a less obstructive sellers market now that HIPs are no more.

Of course, don’t forget that Energy Performance Certificates (EPCs) are still a legal requirement, and one has to be commissioned before a property is marketed!

Tags: NAEA welcomes scrappage of HIPs