Hips Delayed Til 1 August

Doozergirl

There's nothing wrong with having an energy assessment, it just seems that now because an energy assessment is EU law that it's the only thing left standing from the original HIP.

I can totally understand the point of having a survey undertaken before sale; I think it will help everyone if done correctly. An energy assessment, whilst perhaps useful if you want to do your bit to reduce climate change, is not going to be one of the deciding factors on whether to buy a home for a long time yet and it will do ALMOST NOTHING to ease the strain of house buying.

To anyone thinking of selling a 4-bed as a 3-bed; I can guarantee you will be devaluing your home by more than the cost of a HIP. If I want a 4-bed, I want a 4-bed. I won't even look at 3-bed with any kind of bonus room.

thesaint

katecheshire wrote: »

My daughter has just started working for a company which was going to provide a HIP service. Luckily they have said that they will keep her on (if she wants to stay - as she doesn't want to be twiddling her thumbs) but 8 other staff will be laid off. Plus my BIL has paid to train as an energy inspector. Would you buy car without a log book or MOT? What's wrong with having them for houses?

Yes I would, and have bought cars without logbooks and M.O.T certificates, but that's not the point is it?

Where I believe that H.I.P's failed was that they were marketed originally as a surefire way of speeding up the terrible house buying process in this country.

They evolved into a money making gravy train with no 'real' value to housebuyers, and as such have been delayed, but sadly will re-emerge after a bit of a tinkering.

I do not see people queing up to buy new-builds that presumably have excellent energy performance ratings.

If some agreement could be reached about the inclusion of a home condition report, I for one would be for them 100%.

thesaint

Doozergirl wrote: »

<snip>
To anyone thinking of selling a 4-bed as a 3-bed; I can guarantee you will be devaluing your home by more than the cost of a HIP. If I want a 4-bed, I want a 4-bed. I won't even look at 3-bed with any kind of bonus room.

I think you may be hasty to draw a conclusion so soon.

I don't know if the government have stated what the criteria is yet, so if you are looking to make money you use that to your advantage.

If vendors are allowed to market a property as 3-4 bedrooms(for example), this would become the norm for getting around the '4 bed HIP' necessity, so everyone in the market for a 4 bed would be in the know. You would be alone in refusing to look at this property and would be left behind.

If the H.I.P was important to you as a buyer, then by all means stay away, but I think that buyers like these are few and far between.

lynzpower

I wonder, maybe courtjester could help me out here? If someone came into an EA wanting a 4 bed what is the legality of advertising a property with less "bedrooms" than it has?

Would it be a question of saying to a prospective buyer "well we've got this 3 bed with a large study that COULD be made into a bedroom"

Would any of these conversations clash with the advertising legislation?

Just tihnking out loud really

GTG

IMHO the biggest issue which should be sorted out when buying a property in England and Wales is that of being gazumped when you've incurred costs.

I understand that in Scotland the buying process does n't allow this to happen, and rightly so.

Doozergirl

thesaint wrote: »

If vendors are allowed to market a property as 3-4 bedrooms(for example), this would become the norm for getting around the '4 bed HIP' necessity, so everyone in the market for a 4 bed would be in the know. You would be alone in refusing to look at this property and would be left behind.

Most people are totally clueless when it comes to house buying and selling. I doubt most people will know what a HIP really entails, even with the media attention it's receiving currently. Once it dies away I bet hardly anyone will know what it is or what it is for.

If it is law for a four bed to have a HIP, I would ask questions, as I would expect my solicitor to, as to why something being marketed as a three beds if it were a query four bed.

I certainly won't be alone in searching for a four bed when I want a four bed!

thesaint

I know and understand that most people are clueless with house buying and selling, I include myself in that equation.

If/when it becomes law, the loophole (if it exists) will be known to one and all, and the Great British public and there conveyancing solicitor wil know why it is being marketed as 3-4 bedrooms instead of 4.

Are you suggesting that if there is a loophole, you will disregard all these properties marketed as 3-4 bedrooms?

Doozergirl

It's not about disregarding the properties. How would an agent get me to consider a house on rightmove if it were 3/4 beds when the system only allows them to enter it as 3 beds OR 4 beds? They would market it as 4 as a catch-all, surely? To market it at 3 simply to avoid paying for a HIP that a buyer or their solicitor will probably end up requesting, eliminates part the market you are trying to reach and would devalue the property by more than the cost of a HIP.

You can't expect ptoential purchasers to search through the blurb to discover whether it's a 3 bed with 3 beds or in fact a 3 bed with 4 beds, iyswim!

I'm sure that if there is any query over whether a room is a bedroom or not, a vendor would be recommended to get a HIP anyway. No doubt the EA will be making a cut on the price of the HIP. Would you really want a buyer to see your house as being smaller than it actually is, or the simple reality that the vendor is being a cheapskate?!

stevie_wonder

I have a close relative who is a chief exec of a company with a vested interest in HIPS being implemented. I spoke to him at the weekend, and he said that he didnt believe it was now going to happen at all, even when I mentioned the 1st August deadline. He is gutted, as they have been lobbying government for years about HIPs, but also as they had staffed up to support the implementation and now having to let people go because of the announcement. He is meeting with Ruth kelly soon to discuss, but as he pointed out to me "A HIP isn't going to sway your decision on buying a house, so why implement as it is?"

CB1979_2

i wonder if this 3.5 beds thing are shown on the EAs sites, etc.

if we all of a sudden see more EAs doing floor plans to show the real size of said 12 x 14 ft "study" with ensuite! :rotfl: