HIPs, HCR u-turn burns govt

The government's about-face on the policy of introducing compulsory Home Condition Reports (HCRs) as part of Home Information Packs (HIPs) legislation has undercut the entire policy objective, according to Louise Cuming of moneysupermarket.com.

Ms Cuming, the head of mortgages, said that the move has made "the principal objective of HIPs completely redundant".

"The whole point of this piece of legislation was to make home-buying simple and straightforward for the purchaser, and potentially easier for the seller.

"Under [the] current process, any defects are discovered after time and expense," she continued, "often multiple prospective purchasers obtain the same reports, with further delays to sale.

Ms Cuming added that the intention of the government was to "add fluidity to the housing market" and that by removing the compulsory HCRs the government was failing in its intention to improve the services offered.

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