The Association of Home Information Pack Providers (AHIPP) today called for the Government to re-introduce a ‘drop dead’ date of 1st April 2009 for Home Information Packs (HIPs) when they address the transitional arrangements which expire at the end of the year.

When the first set of HIP regulations were laid, they included a date by which all properties that were not exempt had to have a HIP, regardless of when they were listed. It makes sense for the Government to reintroduce such a date to deliver clarity for consumers and estate agents alike.

Mike Ockenden, Director General of AHIPP, said ‘It is not fair on consumers that in some cases they will have to pay costs for the information in a HIP as both the buyer and seller, whilst in other cases they will not have to pay at all. It is also the case that there has been abuse of the HIP regulations by some estate agents which acts to the detriment of consumers. Surely all parties would be well served by the fairness, certainty and clarity that a ‘drop dead’ date would bring.’