A probe by Birmingham City Council trading standards has resulted in two agents being fined because they did not produce HIPs. Both agents have also been referred to the OFT.
The investigation also claimed that 30% of HIPs were unsatisfactory.
But the findings have come under fire because the HIPs were analysed by the Property Codes Compliance Board – which found that PCCB regulated HIPs are better than non-PCCB regulated HIPs.
The PCCB insists it measured the HIPs objectively against regulations.
However, critics point out it is a voluntary trade body. They point out that not all HIP or personal search providers belong to it, but that membership is a requirement of membership of AHIPP. They say that HIPs provided by two of the largest five estate agency groups are not covered by the PCCB whilst HIP provider LMS has withdrawn from the scheme.
One industry player, who is a member of neither body, called the research at best unscientific, and said he was staggered that the PCCB had been allowed to analyse the HIPs. He said: “Surely this was the role of trading standards to say whether these HIPs comply with the regulations or not.”
The results of the investigation are already being used in marketing by the PCCB, which sent out an email to promote a workshop in Leeds.
It said: “The results show PCCB registered Code subscribers in a very positive light when compared to non-registered firms and the registered firms involved are to be commended for their strong performance.
“It is also pleasing to note the endorsement by the Head of Birmingham Trading Standards that they ‘...recommend that both buyers and estate agents should choose a HIP Code registered firm, as our survey has found these to be the most trustworthy’.”
In Birmingham, trading standard officers identified properties in 40 agencies and asked to see the HIPs.
A total of 37 were produced. One property did not have a HIP because it was on the market before the legislation was introduced. The other two should have had HIPs, but were marketed without.
The 37 HIPs were then handed over by trading standards to the PCCB for analysis. This found that 26 HIPs were rated satisfactory or reasonably satisfactory, with the remaining 11 rated unsatisfactory.
According to the analysis, common problems with the faulty HIPs included issues with the searches.
Trading standards in Birmingham said the exercise had been the most comprehensive probe yet into HIPs enforcement.
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Comments
Lets start a massive group up and tell the current government to scrap the HIP ASAP. Aaaarrrrrhhhhhhhhh
Director Major Brigadier General Mocha-build-a-den here chaps. It’s the fault of the agents not the highly professional and trained home information pack providers. Chappies, I should also mention that bounder, Lister, if he would stop telling his members to reject working from pack providers who demand products that are so cheap they could not possibly be compliant – everything would be ok… Home Information Packs rule. Over and out.
Ray: That's exactly what I'm saying.
NFoPP:
Are you saying NO - we will not conduct a survey, OR NO - we do not think HIP's significantly speed up sales?
Ray Evans of The Grey Voters : the answer is 'No'
HIPs are great, I didn't lie about troop supplies, the country is not broke, my expenses are right......
How many of you ask your Hip supplier to provide Exchange Ready Packs? In the majority of cases they help speed matters up for me and reduce stress levels for the seller by getting the paperwork ready earlier.
NFoPP - where are you?
It is about time you conducted a survey of members.
One question: "Are HIP's helping to significantly speed up sales?" (the reason they were initially introduced) YES or NO.
Then use the result one way or the other.
Tight?? Its our customers who are tight..they cant afford them at all at the moment.
Well well well. Tight assed estate agents are using barrow boys to provide cheap Hips or not even bothering to get Hips at all. Are they at fault? No it's all down to the Hip companies.
Where are naea?? Why not organise a strike, take a fine if need be but get rid of these hips once and for all.... That probably sounds like hard work to them.
If we really cared for our customers we would refuse to do them.
I did nt start this job do be a tax collector.
Which side of the fence do you sit on???
On a completly different scale but gordon brown says he listens to our troops while they get blown up with rubbish gear,,,what chance did we have of stopping hips??
The shame is that this stealth tax probably doesnt even raise enough for one flak jacket...
Even my aged mother in law knows that hip replacement is a good thing & she wishes she'd done it years ago.
Add to that coneels charging people £100 but really they are £500 if you find coneels cant sel your house and that is really good for the customer.
HIPS are all an utter waste of time...meaningless with simple properties and the sort of information a good agent would be aware of or ask about upfront with difficult ones......whilst on,anyone been stitched up and left hanging by property 360 recently??-we dont know who to trust now as these companies are disappearing at an alarming rate..they've disappeared and left us with 8 outstanding paid for hips..
That's what you get for buying HIPs for .30p that are put together in a garden shed! Be interesting if the same exercise was conducted on a National basis, I guess the results would be similar. Legislation driven by a comodity product is never going to produce quality compliance.
Fine the inspectors for outrages against the english language.
Satisfactory is what it says, there can be no such thing as reasonably satisfactory. it becomes meaningless, unless the meaning of statisfactory is noe the opposite and means unsatisfactory
HIP's eh, what a brilliant idea it has been! Utter nonsense creating confusion and not helping the market one bit.
says alot for the companies producing the hips!!