Some estate agent HIPs are not fit for purpose, says Law Society

Article Type: Newsbriefs From: Structural Survey, Volume 27, Issue 1

Keywords: Estate agents, HIPS, Solicitors, Sub-standard

The Law Society is warning of the dangers in not using a solicitor when compiling a Home Information Pack (HIP) after a Trading Standards investigation highlighted serious flaws with estate agents’ HIPs. Birmingham Trading Standards officers investigated HIPs produced by estate agents and found they contained serious errors, including absent information and inaccurate dates for planning proposals. Law Society President Paul Marsh says:

The findings of the trading standards investigation confirm very starkly the concerns the Law Society has been expressing for some time about these cheap packs put together by unqualified and unregulated HIP providers, which are a complete waste of consumers’ money.