The Hips 'postcode lottery
26/03/2008
The price consumers pay for home information packs (Hips) varies dramatically across the country, according to Which?.
Nick Cheek, assistant editor for the consumer watchdog, explains that the organisation recently contacted estate agents in four regions across England and Wales and asked for a Hip to be compiled.
Prices ranged from £234 to £529.
"It's also something of a lottery on how much you're actually going to pay for one of these as well there's no standardised payment," Mr Cheek notes.
He adds that there is a "huge disparity" within regions, not just across the country, stating that in Swansea the price of compiling a Hip ranged from £234 to £499.
In the Oxford/Abingdon area, the price of a pack came in at £351 to £529.
In related news, the Association of Home Information Pack Providers stated in recent days that a home condition report must be made a mandatory element of Hips to make them more effective.
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