Conservatives ‘will scrap HIPs’ if they win general election

The Conservative Party would scrap home information packs (HIPs) ‘in a matter of weeks’ after coming to power, the Shadow Housing Minister Grant Shapps said yesterday.

The pledge follows claims by estate agents that the packs are impeding a housing market recovery, as potential sellers regard the typical cost of between £300 and £400 as another disincentive at a time when homeowners are already reluctant to move.

One of the reasons that property prices have risen since April is that the amount of stock on the market is low. Mr Shapps said: ‘House prices are rising because supply is restricted. HIPs have not helped.

‘The main priority is to scrap them. They are easy to suspend and there are emergency powers we can use to do so. This can happen very quickly. HIPs will be gone in a matter of weeks.’