"Trading Standards at Birmingham City Council, in conjunction with the Property Codes Compliance Board (PCCB), have undertaken the most comprehensive estate agent and Home Information Pack (HIP) enforcement exercise yet by any Trading Standards authority nationally
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Thursday 10th February 2010 - Hip Hip Hooray, demise of the large Hip Companies
Following the liquidation of first Hipstar and then Mysalepack another of the large Hip companies is experiencing financial difficulties…………
Although it appears that pack provider Hip Hip Hooray has not yet gone into administration yesterday the administrator of its failed sister company said that its staff had been refused entry to the firms premises. Furthermore efforts to contact the firm by telephone throughout the day were unsuccessful.....more
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Tuesday 1st September 2009 - Which magazine reports on HIPS
The September Edition of Which contains a report for consumers on HIPS and recommends that consumers should purchase Hips from specialist Hip supplier such as The Hips Centre………
This month's edition of the consumer interest magazine Which contains an informative section on Hips. The article explains the need for a HIP and lists the compulsory components. Mention is also made of the optional documents that can be placed in a Hip at the discretion of a Seller......more
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Monday 24th August 2009 - PCCB statement on HIPS
THE PCCB recommends that consumers and Estate Agents check that their HIPs will carry the HIP Code logo………
The Property Codes Compliance Board (PCCB) has today published new advice to property professionals to ensure that industry due diligence procedures do not impose unnecessary costs to consumers......more
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Thursday 04 June 2009 article by Catherine Baksi taken from The Law Society Gazette
Private search companies are threatening to get tough with councils who block access to property search information or fail to comply with the government's charging guidance.
The Council of Property Search Organisations (CoPSO) said this week that it would take action against local authorities that stifle competition or charge excessively.....more
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4th April 2009 - Search Price increases affect Hip prices
Under the new Hip regulations due to come into force on the 6th April personal search companies will no longer be able to use insurance as an alternative to including information in the Local Authority searches that they provide for Hips.
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28th March - New Regulations will come into force on the 6th April 2009
The new Home Information Pack Regulations will come into force on the 6th April despite opposition to the changes.
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25th february 2009 - Government confirms April changes to Hips will take place
Government has issued an official response to the anti-Home Information Pack Petition lodged by Estate Agent Trevor Kent.
The petition had asked for the current transitional first day marketing provisions to be allowed to continue, for the sake of the housing market permitting properties to be marketed immediately a Hip has been commissioned without waiting for the contents, and in particular the EPC, to be compiled.
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23rd January 2009 - Local Authority Search Update
Earlier this week the Government finally published the guidance to local authorities on implementing the new framework for charging for access to property search records