New regulations were introduced on 14^th December 2007 to extend the scheme to all propertied, bringing an end to the three-stage introduction process.

It is hoped the government-backed plan will improve efficiency in the property market, giving buyers all the information they require to complete a purchase quickly.

The energy performance certificate (EPC) element of the pack is also included as a method of reducing carbon emissions.
 

“In its current form the HIP favours  first time buyers most as the local authority searches included in the pack are now paid by the vendor and not the buyer” says David Vaughan.

David adds, “We are an estate agency who offer clients choice of HIP providers in order to get the best deal.  We have HIP’s starting as little as £199 which is below the average cost found on the High Street. We have been approached by some companies providing HIP’s that have said that we could pretty much charge what we liked but that doesn’t interest us we are determined to save our clients money in what can be an expensive process”.