 
News & Articles HIPs are history: Pickles suspends Home Information Packs with immediate effect
| Published | 19 May 2010 |
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In an important step at a point of fragile recovery in the housing market, Communities Secretary Eric Pickles and Housing Minister Grant Shapps today announced that with immediate effect, they are suspending the requirement for homeowners to provide a Home Information Pack (HIP) when selling their homes.
Mr Pickles today laid an Order suspending HIPs with immediate effect, pending primary legislation for a permanent abolition. The Secretary of State has taken this swift action in order to avoid uncertainty and prevent a slump in an already fragile housing market. Today's announcement sends a clear message of encouragement to people thinking of selling their home that they can put it on the market with less cost and hassle.
HIPs are currently holding back the housing market because sellers are having to fork-out extra cash, sometimes hundreds of pounds, just to be able to put their home up for sale. Suspending HIPs will reduce the cost of selling a home, remove a layer of regulation from the process and provide a welcome help to the housing market during the recovery. It will also mean a saving for consumers to the tune of £870m over ten years, giving sellers more money in their pocket to spend in the wider economy.
Mr Pickles and Mr Shapps also said that the Government is determined to help people reduce their energy bills, improve our energy security and tackle climate change by increasing the energy efficiency of their homes. Sellers will therefore still be required to commission, but won't need to have received, an EPC before marketing their property, and the Government will consider how the EPC can play its part in the new drive for a low carbon and eco-friendly economy.
Eric Pickles said:
"The expensive and unnecessary Home Information Pack has increased the cost and hassle of selling homes and is stifling a fragile housing market.
"That's why I am taking emergency action to suspend the HIP, bringing down the cost of selling a home and removing unnecessary regulation from the home buying process.
"This swift and decisive action will send a strong message to the fragile housing market and prevent uncertainty for both home sellers and buyers.
"HIPs are history. This action will encourage sellers back into the market, and help the market as a whole and the economy recover."
Today's move is part of delivering a key manifesto comment made by both parties in the new coalition Government. It will mean that sellers will no longer be told they have to buy a HIP before putting their home on the market, but they will now have the choice to provide one if they want to.
Housing Minister Grant Shapps said:
"This is a great example of how this new Government is getting straight down to work by cutting away pointless red-tape that is strangling the market. Rather than shelling out hundreds of pounds for nothing in return we're stripping away bureaucracy and letting home owners sell their properties.
"But we're also showing our commitment to a greener housing market by keeping Energy Performance Certificates and making them more relevant in helping buyers make informed decisions on the energy costs of their new home."
Mobile Companies and consolidation of Leases
If you are a landowner with a telecommunications mast or site on part of your land you will no doubt be aware of the current trend of companies to consolidate their interests (For further information and a market update please see:http://www.totaltele.com/view.aspx?ID=448328or http://www.telecompaper.com/news/article.aspx?cid=690144#).
Many sites consist of a single mast upon which all of the usual telecoms companies (Orange, Vodafone, T-Mobile, H3G, 02) have a Licence or Lease to use the site for transmission purposes.
It may be that the mobile company has already contacted you with regard to consolidation offering a small premium for the surrender of one Lease and the transfer of another into the joint names of for example, T-Mobile and H3G.
As a landowner you should ensure that your interest is protected and suitable compensation is provided for agreeing to the surrender and transfer. In normal circumstances an agent will approach you who is employed specifically by the mobile company to achieve their goals at as little cost as possible.
Stephen Rimmer LLP are able to assist in the negotiation of the terms, the drafting of all the documentation required and the completion of the process. We are not employed by the telecoms industry and are able to give an independent third party perspective to your negotiations. Most Importantly, YOUR FEES WILL BE PAID BY THE MOBILE COMPANY.
Please contact Stephen Rimmer or Hamed Ovaisi of our Commercial team to discuss, on a no obligation basis, how we can be of assistance to you.
We have announced a new fixed fee debt recovery service which aims to offer customers fast recovery. The fees are clear and fixed from the outset, and extremely competitive. For successful debt recovery time is of the essence and a debtor receiving a solicitor's letter will take the demand more seriously. Often the cost of recovering commercial debts can be claimed from the debtor. We are also able to issue proceedings for fixed fees or may offer a ‘no win no fee' agreement. The service gives quality, continuity and value for businesses looking to improve cash flow. Click here for more information.
We are pleased to accounce that we have recently been approved by East Sussex Trading Standards to become a member of the Buy With Confidence Scheme.
Buy With Confidence is a scheme awarding improved protection to consumers and affording businesses the opportunity to become recognised for the high standard of care they provide.
We are the first, and currently the only, firm of solicitors in East Sussex to be approved for the scheme and are delighted to have recognition of our high standards. We feel the scheme can only further ensure our clients of the high standards and expertise they can expect to receive when instructing us.
We hope that other firms will follow suit to provide consumers with the greatest confidence in approaching a local firm of solicitors when faced with a legal query.