Like many practitioners, I welcomed the government's decision not to make home condition reports a mandatory part of home information packs (HIPs). I look forward to when the secretary of state accepts that HIPs should be withdrawn. Whether or not HIPs become part of everyday conveyancing practice, the profession needs to address the question of the extremely poor quality of documentation and service that is now prevalent, especially that offered by some of the conveyancing 'factories'.


Time and time again, I find that documentation submitted with draft contracts is woefully incomplete because the documents are not properly checked beforehand. Much of this is caused by the practice of trying to attract high-volume business by quoting low fees.



If such firms are to produce HIPs, should they still be mandatory, who would ensure that the documentation is of proper quality? It cannot be the selling agents, whose legal knowledge is usually non-existent. Again, it will be left to those firms that still have some pride in their own work, and in protecting purchasing clients to raise essential enquiries, to ensure that proper information is ultimately provided. Therefore, no time saving whatever will be gained by the use of HIPs.



Fred Crosskey, Leach Rawlence & Hart, London