Listing fewer bedrooms won’t save cash on Hips

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by Kay Murchie

The Association of Home Information Pack Providers (Ahipp) have said there is little to be gained by not listing a property as having fewer bedrooms in order to avoid paying for a home information pack (Hip).

According to a survey by Abbey, a considerable amount of homeowners would look to disguise a bedroom as a playroom or a study in order to avoid purchasing a Hip.

Hips were introduced for 4-bedroom properties on August 1 and rolled out to 3-bedroom properties on September 10. Ultimately, all homes will require a Hip.

A spokesperson for Ahipp said that the first people look for is how many bedrooms a property has so to advertise less bedrooms is, in effect, taking yourself off the shopping list.

Hips have also been criticised for forcing up the cost of selling property, particularly as estate agents are asking sellers to pay in advance. However Ahipp disagrees and said there are some providers that offer a ‘no sale, no fee’ Hip.

Finally, if a person marketing their property fails to produce a Hip, they will be subject to a £200 fine for every instance they are caught marketing without a Hip.