At the HIPs conference, the audience and panel, made up of both proponents and opponents of the packs, unanimously said yes, they would prefer to buy a home with a pack.
Over 350 people attended the HIPs conference, organised in association with the Association of Home Information Pack Providers (AHIPP). Attendees had the opportunity to hear updates from Government and industry experts and join discussions about the future of packs and the logistics involved in making them a success.
The event opened with a keynote speech from Yvette Cooper, Minister for Housing and Planning, who provided an update on the latest Government plans, reinforcing the Government’s commitment to the planned June deadline. The Minister offered the audience her unequivocal assurance that HIPs will happen on 1 June next year and that the mandatory introduction of the Home Condition Report (HCR), which was moved from a required to an authorised document earlier this year, remained very much on the table.
The Minister’s speech was followed by a presentation by Peter Bolton-King of the National Association of Estate Agents (NAEA) and Mike Ockenden of AHIPP concluded the morning’s session, providing the audience with a clear message – HIPs will happen and industry needs to get ready.
The afternoon’s session featured a panel discussion, facilitated by Radio 4’s Sarah Montague. The panel, which represented those both for and against HIPs, including Paul Broadhead of AHIPP, Peter Bolton-King of the NAEA, Nick Salmon of SPLINTA, Neil McDonald of the Department of Communities and Local Government (DCLG) and Emma Harrison of Which? faced a number of questions from the audience on where they see the future of HIPs heading and the finer details of implementation. The discussion provided a lively debate with questions and input from a range of business people across the industry.
Mike Ockenden, director-general of AHIPP, said: “The HIPs conference provided a great opportunity to bring business people from across the industry together to hear the latest on HIPs and to put their questions directly to the Minister.
“The overwhelming response from both audience and panel that saw 100 per cent agree that they would prefer to buy a home with a HIP, with even outspoken critics such as Nick Salmon raising their hands, is a clear indication that there will be consumer demand for the packs and we must now work together to prepare for their introduction.
“HIPs are going to happen and the industry must ensure that it is ready. We are commencing our early roll out of the packs in November and have received immense support from local businesses in the six identified locations. HIPs are on track and I am confident that they will be successfully implemented on 1 June 2007.”
