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It's been quite some time since they were first introduced by the government to the common man but the controversy just refuses to die down. While the government has been propagating the Home Information Pack (HIP) as being extremely beneficial to the people and one that would bring much more transparency to the field, the critiques just won't buy it. And what's interesting is that some of the most vociferous of these critiques come from the political arena. Leading the charge, as we all know, are the Tories.
HIP's has been on the political agenda for quite some time since the Government introduced them. Essentially, the Home Information Packs (HIP) were proposed to be a one-stop shop for anything that you wanted to know about a particular property that seemed to be interesting. The first stage of the roll out of the HIP's began in 2007. Initially, things took time to get going with only the large houses (ones that had five bedrooms or more) being put on the cards. But, by 2008 and as of now, all properties, regardless of the size, need to have an HIP before they can be sold.
The Conservatives have been pretty clear on what they think of the Home Information Packs (HIP) right from day one. Their primary assertion was that the move was just another bureaucratic game and way too expensive to remain beneficial to anyone. The fact that there have been innumerable hiccups to the roll out have only made the Torries' point stronger by the day.
One of the major setbacks to the government's plans was their decision that made the HCRs (Home Condition Reports) voluntary. For many, the HCR was what defined HIP's. A Home condition report helped the buyer understand and know about the condition of the house, something that most people agreed was pretty useful and the essence of a Home Information Pack (HIP). Fiasco's like this and more have only given the Conservatives more ammunition to pound on the viability of the HIP's.
The Shadow Housing Minister, Grant Shapps has been quite unambiguous about his views on the HIP's. Blaming the packs for the properties that have been taken off the markets, the Minister has long said that, given the chance, he would completely abolish the Home Information Packs (HIP). The HIP's have turned out to be more of a conundrum than the Government could have ever imagined. Nonetheless, they are also unequivocally supporting the initiative and chances are, if the Tories do come back in power, HIP's will also certain still be around but packaged in another format and called something else.