Tories to scrap Home Information Packs if elected

The Tories have pledged to scrap Home Information Packs (Hips) if they win the election, a senior minister has promised Estate Agents.

John Hayes MP, Shadow Minister for Housing and Planning, made the promise, at the NAEA national congress last week, during a heated debate on the introduction of home information packs (hips).

John Hayes MP says: “A Conservative government would… …suspend this scheme immediately. We would cut red tape for people wanting to sell their homes, and we would put to rest once and for all the idea of Home Information Packs."

Peter Bolton King, chief executive of the NAEA, said: "The Conservative party has made a bold step in promising to scrap the unsatisfactory proposals for Hips. This promise will strike a chord with many estate agents who, whilst accepting that there is a need to improve the system, are unhappy at the way the current government is planning to reform the house buying and selling process. Tony Blair and his colleagues should not underestimate the strength of feeling amongst many UK estate agents on these plans."