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  • Property Advice Please – HIPS?
  • nim
    Full Member

    Hi all. I’m looking to put my flat on the market and need to arrange a HIP.

    The estate agent quoted 400 or so which sounds a bit steep.
    There also seems to be a million and one people providing HIPs.
    Any advice please/recommendations as to who I should take one out with & also ballpark costs?

    Thanks,

    PS – The flat is in North London.

    beaker
    Full Member

    We went with hips4u.co.uk, quick and cheap! I think they came to less than £200.

    Good luck selling.

    Spongebob
    Free Member

    I investigated the possibility of becoming an HIPS inspector. I have a friend who uses someone already qualified and he put me on to her. She told me she gets £80 and at the time was getting on average 3 surveys a week. The most she had ever done in a week was 10 and this was just once. She has over 20 years experience with the local property businesses and has many contacts. She told me that she knew of many other inspectors who had quit good jobs on the false promises of the training companies and nonsense newspaper articles saying that an inspector could expect to earn at least £50k. She told me that competition for work meant that guys were doing surveys for as little as £50!

    The training company literature I received stated that the going rate was around £130 and the course would cost £3k and take 3 months. Speaking with someone who had been through this experience, the reality was that it would have cost nearer to £5k.

    My view is that HIPS are purely a waste of money, foisted on us by politicians who were supposed to be making it easier and quicker to buy and sell a property. The opposite effect is true and since the law came into force, vendors have even been put off marketing their properties.

    What should have happened is estate agents should have been forced into making energy rating assesments when they survey the properties they are going to market. They could then charge for this service after the sale has been agreed.

    Local searches are pointless until the time a sale is agreed as things constantly change. As purchaser I would not take one bit of notice of information supplied by people not instructed by myself.

    I wouldn’t pay more than £100 for a HIP.

    GrahamS
    Full Member

    Had to laugh at the HIP for our house. It pointed out that there was no cavity wall insulation so gave us a poor energy rating and a recommendation that insulation was fitted.

    Our house was built in 1910. The walls are about 2 foot thick and have no frickin cavity in them to fill with frickin cavity wall insulation. 🙄

    bonj
    Free Member

    £400 was how much mine was.

    geetee1972
    Free Member

    £400 was what we paid when we sold our house in March last year.

    You don’t need to do it right away. I can’t quite remember the technical requirements, it muight be that you need one to ‘market’ the property, but given how things are, it’s pointless paying for it until you’ve got it on the market and got a sense of how likely you are to sell it. I had a flat on for about six weeks without having had one done, in that time no one was remotely interested in buying it so I was glad I didn’t shell out £400 for one. Talk to your estate agent and check what they’re willing to do. If you get a sniff or maybe even an offer, then you’ll definitely have to get one.

    ebygomm
    Free Member

    The rules have changed since last year

    The packs must now be ready before a property can be put on the market

    jacksta
    Free Member

    I’m looking at selling my flat – the local estate agent charges £180 but if you look up the direct.gov website it says you can do it yourself, apart from the energy rating. Depends how much time you have! I have most of the information from when I bought two years ago so am looking into being able to use that while I test the market.

    Anyone after a one bed flat in South west london? (loft converted to bike workshop!)

    thegreatape
    Free Member

    Ours was done free but that was 18 months ago and i think before they became obligatory so the estate agents were practising. They sent it to us a few months ago, it’s very boring. And utterly pointless I think.

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