It is currently compulsory for a HIP to be commissioned when a house is put on the market, but the government is under pressure to repeal the legislation following Carsberg's Review of Residential Property which found that "the cost of HIPs are likely to exceed their benefit".
Sir Bryan said in the report: "Some would summarise the position by saying that the HIP provides the worst of all worlds – it omits much of the most useful information but still imposes significant costs on the property transaction."
He added that in about 80% of cases, the buyer does not commission a survey, "so evidently it cannot be a major cause of failure in a transaction".
Report calls for HIPs to be made voluntary
Home Information Packs (HIPs) could be made voluntary after a damning report by property expert Sir Bryan Carsberg into the current residential property market.
