From The BBC:
A review of Home Information Packs (Hips) is needed given the housing market slowdown, estate agents say.
Local searches are a requirement in the packs, but the National Association of Estate Agents (NAEA) says they are out of date by the time a property is sold.
It wants a simpler pack, but the government says that the system is bringing benefits to consumers.
The packs – which are compulsory in England and Wales – are aimed at preventing sales falling through.
‘Wrong answer’
The NAEA wants a new slimline pack just to include a sellers’ questionnaire, an Energy Performance Certificate, and the Land Registry title and plan.
“With the economic situation worsening and the property market still suffering, we are calling on the government to take urgent action on Hips,” said Peter Bolton King, chief executive of the NAEA.
“We have long seen Hips as not fit for purpose and as the wrong answer to simplifying the house buying process.”
But a Department of Communities and Local Governm…
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