A LEADING independent estate agency has welcomed the Government’s suspension of the controversial Home Information Packs (HIP).

The convoluted introduction of the HIP, which began in 2007, was supposed to speed up the house-buying process but has met with widespread opposition among most property professionals and indifference among the public

David Boyden, Managing Partner at Boydens estate agency, which has offices in Colchester, Frinton, Braintree, Kelvedon, Ipswich and Sudbury, said the whole exercise had been ill-judged and he welcomed the suspension of the initiative.

 “We were always sceptical that HIPs would achieve their aim of speeding up the house-buying process and that scepticism has been born out. Apart from adding an unwanted additional cost to the house-moving process, doing little to help ignite the market, the HIP has achieved little.

“The requirement to have an energy performance certificate remains and I have no issue with that because the cost is minimal and the sentiment behind it worthy enough. The removal of the rest of the HIP and the associated cost should act as a fillip to the market at just the right time.”