70% of people polled on the law firm’s website believed HIPs would not speed up the purchasing process when the scheme is introduced in January 2007.
Out of more than 6,000 hits to the website only 30% thought HIPs would actually speed up the house buying process.
HIPs are being introduced by the Government in an attempt to reduce the number of timewasters and cut the time it takes to get from the offer stage to exchange of contracts.
The Government is planning to pilot the new process in selected areas from the middle of 2006, when property sellers’ would produce a Home Information Pack for potential buyers to see before they make an offer.
The contents of the packs, which are expected to be confirmed by the Government this summer, are likely to contain a report about the condition of the property, documents of titles and searches.
However, Tricia Lonorgan, conveyancing director at Barnetts, was disappointed by the results of the firm’s first online survey.
She said: “It seems apparent that the Government haven’t been able to get the message out to the public as yet that the compulsory packs could speed up the house buying process, if they are prepared and delivered in an efficient manner. We at Barnetts are already working on a system that will be able to produce the legal documents necessary on demand.
“The introduction of HIPs will be major change for the industry and the opportunity, especially with the introduction of e-conveyancing on the horizon, will be there for us to revolutionise the way we do business. It’s a pity that the message hasn’t been picked up generally, as yet.”
Barnetts launched its online survey earlier this year, which will cover a wide range of topical issues over the coming months and is open to all its website visitors.
The results from each poll will also be published on the firm’s website: www.barnetts-solicitors.co.uk
