The Tories are proposing to scrap them, Labour wants to roll them out to the rest of the housing market, but how do homeowners feel about the ongoing HIP debate?
The results reveal that they are less than impressed. Although 95 per cent of those questioned were aware of the packs, 62 per cent thought that the information provided in them would have no impact on how quickly a property would sell.
Unsurprisingly, 78 per cent of people thought that the typical cost of £300 to £350 for a HIP does not represent good value for money when marketing a property.
The Government placed a huge emphasis was placed on the importance of the Energy Performance Certificate (EPC) in the months preceding the August launch, yet London & Country’s research found that 55 per cent of people felt that a property’s energy rating would not be a factor when looking for a new home.
On the positive side, many homeowners said they would take notice of the EPC once a property has been purchased. 68 per cent said that they would be either quite or very likely to make suggested alterations to a property to improve its energy efficiency.
Commenting on the results, James Cotton, mortgage specialist at L& C said: “The results of this panel suggest that while homeowners are certainly aware of HIPs, the majority feel that they offer no tangible benefit when selling a house. However, it is still early days for the packs and the rules now cover around 60 per cent of the housing stock.
“As more and more people in a chain become familiar with both providing and using HIPs, customer attitudes towards them should hopefully improve. We may also see some reduction in cost as they become more widespread.”
