The Easier2move monthly HIP Awareness Index has revealed HIP Ignorance and lack of education from companies.
The monthly index tracks estate agents' awareness of Home Information Packs and the issues surrounding them. Results of the April HIP Awareness Index showed:
Awareness:
- With just over 13 months to go until HIPs become compulsory, 11 per cent of estate agents do not know what HIPss are. This is an improvement on last month when research showed that 13 per cent of agents were unaware of the packs- possibly a reaction to the increased coverage of this topic in the media. A more reassuring 88 per cent (March - 85 per cent) are aware of HIPS and 1 per cent (March - 2 per cent) said they aren't quite sure what they are.
Education:
- Over a third (37 per cent) of estate agents are not being educated by their companies at the moment about the packs. Of these, some had been learning about HIPs through media coverage and independent research on the internet.
Definite implementation:
- When asked if they believed that HIPs would definitely become a reality next summer, 63 per cent believed they would and 34 were unsure. Only 3 per cent of those surveyed did not believe that they would become a reality. However of those that do believe they will be implemented a significant number of agents are still hoping that they won't be, as they fear vendors will rush to sell their properties before HIPs are introduced, causing a shortage in stock after they go live. Meanwhile others commented that they will be hard to implement in the outlined timescale.
Karen Babington, marketing director, Easier2move, said: "It is important that estate agents are educated about HIPs as they will have a major role to play in the sale of them when they go live in 2007. That 11 per cent of estate agents are unaware of HIPS is worrying, but is encouraging to see this figure has come down since the index started.
"As we get closer to HIP implementation it is imperative that estate agents are well educated on this subject. It is therefore a cause for concern that less than two thirds of agents surveyed are educating their staff in this area. Despite this apparent lack of staff training it is good to see that agents are doing their own research and are aware of the issues affecting their market place.
"With two thirds of agents believing that HIPs will become a reality, we can take this as a sign of optimism in the government's ability to deliver HIPs within their published time line. Of those remaining, a third were unsure as to whether they will be delivered on time. This scepticism can be understood given the way the government dramatically u-turned on Self-invested Personal Pensions."
