HIPs update - delay to Home Information Packs

personaly I think it is all a waste of time and loads of money as well. if you can not work out if a house has double glazing etc then fine pay to find out but why put more cost on buyers and sellers we pay silly money to the goverment as it is. land reg to name just one. and why should the Eu say how we Brits have to sell our own homes! most homes in europe are rented!
personally i just give up with the system had enough and will leave this sad country as soon as possible

can't agree more with the person who said its common sense. We are selling at the moment and buying too. My house is old and mainly solid walls which we havwe told the buyers, its all double glazed, they could even see that for themselves, it has loft insulation, draughtproofing and is totally unique! How is some slightly trained person going to tell our buyers how much this costs to run. We can show them the bills, but someone has to live in this big house and I believe our buyers don't care about the costs, what could they do that we haven't done anyway. Its baloney and unless its a new system that stops chains collapsing due to people pulling out at the last minute then it is not going to help the process.

So its now all about saving energy is it, it started life as a home condition report. I think most of the housebuying public are able to distingush betwen single glazed & double glazed windows, for those unsure single glazed only have one thickness of glass and the estate agent usually states when a property is double glazed. A quick look in the loft will discover if it is insulated and a look at the radiator valves will establish if they are fitted with thermostats. Questioning the vendor for certification on any cavity wall insulation will establish if this is installed. A quick look at the boiler will establish if its old, new boilers look new. Well there we go then job done.
So who will gain, well I guess the V A T on the service will all add up nicely thank you.

Your point was made but not without offence, which I assume was innocently caused: i.e. God must always have a capital 'G' and 'sit on their bottoms, rather than the profane word, Amercian though it may be, used.

I am a first time buyer. After paying for the fees and surveys and waiting for over 4 months, the sale fell through. The vendor simply used me to test the market.

I think the HIP is a good thing. At least the buyer will be more serious about selling. Hopefully it will speed up the process. It seems the rest of the world including Scotland tend to sign contract within a few weeks of accepting an offer rather than months, couldn't understand why England is so backward on this?

Well these packs are common place for home buyers in the USA. Mind you over there they can also sell contract and set a closing date in 3 weeks too - god forbid they would be able to do that here - the buyers might actually be happier!!!

Oh and their estate agents do more than sit on their ass behind a desk all day and push brochures at people too!

I`ll give you all food for thought. When MOT`s were first introduced for those of us who remember similar comments to those
regarding HIP`s were made. Now they are common place. Further it is, I am led to believe, that HIP`s are likely to be extended once those with the knee jerk reaction of stealth tax etc. and those who comment with NIL experience which if unless for example you live in Australia or some continental countries is the majority of the British population, have adjusted to its introduction. A possible scenario for you to consider is that the Home Inspector if as indicated by the Council of Mortgage Lenders interest also does carry out a condition report and valuation for mortgage lending would not that give you the buyer peace of mind. Cost I here you say. My reply market forces. Even under its limited introduction now as a buyer question your solicitors fees. He should not have to do as much as previously so negotiate. I would also suggest that as a seller you`ll whinge about the cost but as a buyer you`ll want at least a Energy Performance Certificate and if the house you`re interested in hasn`t got one I bet you`ll ask why not? What are the sellers hiding? In some cases heaven forbid it may literally be a skeleton but then I don`t expect a HIP`s pack will disclose that.

So far people seem to be under the impression that the Energy performance certificate was something thought up by the british government to suck more money from us, well it isn't! It is an EU directive and no amount of kicking and screaming from the british public or anyone else who sees fit to try and get them abolished will make any difference. It is the responsibility of every nation (exept america because they are refusing to join in) to try and preserve our planet for the future and if people act upon the carbon cutting advice which goes along with these certificates we can make a difference.

According to this website, the aim of the HIP is to provide buyers with information on the condition and energy efficiency of any house they might consider buying. To be fair, it's info I would want to know before committing myself, and you can't always rely on the vendor for this, and not all of it's contained in the survey.
My question is, if you've got nothing to hide, what's your problem???
Apart from the cost, obviously.

A total waste of time and money for everyone involved except the so-called inspectors and solicitors of course, who will benefit financially from it.
One person I know who took the course is running her own letting agency on the side too.

This was just another feeble way for the labour government to pretend that it was actually doing something about something it did'nt understand and never has.
What on earth do you pay a surveyor for??
The packs were totally pointless, the current system allows buyers and sellers to opt out over the period between deposit and contract signing if they so wish, the packs were designed to stop people doing just that.
Idiotic....and as for the energy report what a pointless joke...
I hope the current incumbent at nbr 10 lets it just die the death it deserves and gets on with doing something useful for a change..