Hips rollout to be extended

An additional 12 areas are to join the six regions currently taking part in a dry run of Home Information Packs (Hips) the association backing the project has revealed

.Manchester, Cardiff, Coventry, Bristol, Leicester, Chelmsford, Nottingham, Plymouth and Liverpool are all joining today, said the Association of Hips Providers (AHIPP).

They will also be available to homebuyers in the M4 corridor from Reading to Wokingham, the Thames corridor from Kent to Essex and areas of Hereford.

"By launching the packs in an additional 12 locations, we will avoid a big bang implementation," said Paul Broadhead of AHIPP.

"Take up of packs in the first six areas has been hugely successful, with over 1,000 packs commissioned in the first three months alone." The packs will launch nationally in June.

"By encouraging early adoption now, it is our ambition that agents will be better informed to assist their customers come the June deadline," said Mr Broadhead.