22nd August - Personal Search concerns

There have been a number of reports about potential issues with the use of personal local authority searches within HIPs including the Daily Mail, The Times, Daily Telegraph, Evening Standard and The Guardian and Channel 4 news. We had also raised these concerns in a recent press release.

Click here for more press releases.

7th June - Mortgage Strategy - Inspectors

Mortgage Strategy picked up our story about the rapidly increasing numbers of inspectors that are accredited. In the run-up to the introduction of HIPs this number will be critical.

Click here to a link to the article..

11th April - This is Money - EPC

The Evening Standard’s Money website featured our comments on Energy Performance Certificates on older properties. This highlighted the concerns that for most properties in London, EPCs will not score very highly.

Click here to a link to the article..

25th March - The Observer - EPC

As the government starts promoting HIPs and in particular, the EPC. we were pleased to be featured in The Observer, with an article on EPCs and older properties.

Although the article pointed out the failings of the property, it raised good questions about the practicalities of EPCs on older buildings.

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24th February- Negotiator - Quality Control

One area that is frequently overlooked when it comes to HIPs is that of the quality of the content within them. In the first of a regular column in The Negotiator, we examine the issues involved and potential problems caused by substandard HIPs.

Click here for The Negotiator magazine website

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22nd February- Law Society Gazette

As the start date for HIPs approaches, solicitors are being encouraged to become more involved with the production of HIPs and the Law Society Gazette published an article on the recent consultation paper. We were pleased to be quoted outlining our concerns about the requirement to put an energy performance certificate on agents’ particulars.

Click here for The Law Society website

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25th January - Estate Agency Times

SQM magazine has launched a new monthly publication called Estate Agency Times. It is unusual in that it is published in newspaper format, and it covers a range of articles concerning the industry.

Click here for a copy of our article of Search Provision, or here for one on EPC pricing.

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25th January - Mortgage Introducer

Following the announcement of the launch of a consultation period for changes to the regulations, we were pleased to be included in industry comment on the impact of the changes. We commented that agents will welcome the change, as it reduces the initial impact of their introduction.

Click here for the Mortgage Introducer article

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12th January - The Times

In the property section of The Times newspaper, an editorial covered one of the key challenges that some observers suggest faces the introduction of HIPs. The availability of energy assessors to carry out the energy performance inspection is highlighted, and we were asked to comment on the matter.

Click here for the article on TimesOnline

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11th January - 124 Law - Leasehold matters

124 Law - a magazine aimed at smaller legal practices, published details of the requirements for leasehold properties for HIP documentation.

We were pleased to provide content for this often under-investigated area of HIPs.

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20th December - Surrey Lawyer - Marketing

With solicitors currently facing some major challenges over the coming years, it is clear that many will have to look at the way they market themselves to promote their services.

In our article on marketing of services, we focus on the importance of positioning and target marketing, without investing significant amounts of money on more generalised marketing approaches.

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4th December - The Estate Agent - EPCs

The introduction of the standalone qualification for Domestic Energy Assessors to produce Energy Performance Certificates (EPCs) has raised the question whether estate agents could train to become inspectors. 

In this article in the Estate Agent, we investigate the challenges that are presented to estate agents looking to achieve such a qualification.

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17th November - Square Foot Magazine

Square Foot, one of the leading websites for promoting property in the buy to let market published an article by us on the current position on HIPs.

Given the amount of confusion that is currently in the market, they were pleased to have the position clarified especially for the investment property market.

Click here for the Square Foot website

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10th November - The Negotiator - Searches

In this edition of The Negotiator, we outline one of the concerns that has not been fully addressed about the pricing and timeliness of local authority searches.

With most HIP providers offering cheaper, variable quality personal searches, there is a potential problem with the buyer’s solicitor not accepting these.

Click here for The Negotiator magazine website

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4th November - Mortgage Introducer - CML

In a recent statement by the Council of Mortgage Lenders, HIPs were denounced as being an expensive, bureacratic process, and raised concerns about the certifcation of energy inspectors.

We were pleased to explain that it was up to industry to bring confidence to the process, not government, and to make efforts to promote their effective use.

Click here for The Mortgage Introducer website

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15th September - The Negotiator - Energy Performance Certificates

With the government focussing more on the importance of the energy efficiency of homes, there is a lot of discussion about who will carry out the inspection work. With every property requiring a certificate, we analyse how the process will work, who will be responsible and what the reports should cost.

Click here for The Negotiator magazine website

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11th August - The Negotiator - HIP Payment

One of the challenges facing both agents and HIP providers is how a workable solution will be found to the issue of paying for the HIP. In the Negotiator, we discuss the different options available to estate agents and uncover some of the more complex issues involved with credit agreements.

Click here for The Negotiator magazine website

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28th July - New Law Journal - Regulations

We review the publication of the Home Information Pack regulations and outline the opportunities for solicitors to benefit from the inclusion of legal summaries of the documentation.  Note. This was written before the announcement of the change of status of the Home Condition Report within the HIP.

Click here for New Law Journal website

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26th July - London Evening Standard - leaseholds

The Evening Standard, while not a supporter of HIPs, published an article on the costs for HIPs for leasehold property owners. Our experience was important for the story, which acknowledged that leaseholders have to pay more for property transactions currently, so there will be little change when HIPs are introduced.

Click here for the London Evening Standard website

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14th July - Law Society Gazette - Case Studies

In the Law Society’s supplement on HIPS, our experience in carrying out home inspections on more complex properties was recognised. Our work and cost estimates for such properties was outlined in an article on the planned dry run.

Click here for The Law Society website

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13th July - UK Landlord - Landlord obligations

The National Landlord Association is the largest landlord association in the UK, providing a broad range of advice, guidance and information for its members. We were pleased to be asked to contribute to their newsletter with an article on HIPs and how they impact landlords.

Click here for The National Landlord Association website

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30th June - The Negotiator - HIP regulations

With the recent publication of the Home Information Pack Regulations, in an article in The Negotiator magazine, we examine the impact that the final regulations will have on estate agency.  Whilst there were no major surprises in the final regulations, some aspects of HIPs have been simplified which should reduce time and confusion.

Click here for The Negotiator magazine website

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14th June - The Estate Agent - arguments for HIPs

In an article published in the National Association of Estate Agent’s magazine, we examine the common issues that those opposing HIPs use to justify their cancellation. The publication of this article validates our position as an influential, independent and informed source of information concerning the introduction of HIPs.

Click here for the National Association website

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11th May - MSN - free HIPs from Asda

With the surprising news that Asda are planning to start selling properties through their supermarkets, and will include a free HIP with every sale, The Partnership was asked to comment on the issue for MSN.

Click here for the MSN article

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5th May - The Negotiator - large or small providers

With proposed HIP providers targeting estate agents, there appears to be a lot of confusion in the market about the offerings from different suppliers. We were pleased to have an article published in The Negotiator magazine outlining the pros and cons of the larger volume conveyancers and independent HIP providers.

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27th April - The Estate Agent - Unusual buildings

With the release of The Estate Agent Magazine in April, the magazine receives a brand new look, and The Partnership was pleased to be featured with an article on HIPs and Unusual Buildings

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25th April - MSN - introduction to HIPs

The newsworthiness of HIPs in the media is increasing steadily with most major newspapers publishing stories on the topic over the past few weeks. Online interest is naturally increasing as well, with the major news websites picking up on its importance.

We were very pleased to have an article published on Microsoft’s news website, MSN, in conjunction with LawPack, the leading self-help legal publisher. The article outlined Home Information Packs and what consumers need to be thinking about over the coming year.

Click here for the MSN article

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28th March - LegalTV - HIP Discussion

As further recognition of our role in promoting informed discussion about the introduction of HIPs, we appeared on LegalTV, a station offering legal professionals the opportunity to discuss topical subjects. During a lively debate with several solicitors, we had the opportunity to outline our experiences with HIPs and reaction to their use.

10th March - New Law Journal - training issues

As part of the regular Education and Training supplement, the New Law Journal has published an article by The Partnership outlining the training requirements that solicitors should consider when investigating HIPs. In addition to training, the issue was raised concerning whether solicitors want to become a HIP provider or look to independent companies to provide the core solution, providing additional expertise for more complex issues such as unregistered land and leasehold property.

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10th March - The Negotiator - Partnership Profile

The Negotiator, the leading magazine for Estate Agents, published a profile of The Partnership as part of their HIPs Survival Guide, on the 10th March. In an excellent article by editor, Rosalind Renshaw, we explain our philosophy towards tackling more complex properties including leasehold flats and unusual historic buildings.

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10th February - New Law Journal - HIP issues

At the start of a carefully targeted campaign to work with solicitors, we were pleased to have the lead article in the New Law Journal. The magazine is one of the most prestigious publications on the market. As we engage with increasing number of solicitors looking for independent HIP providers, such coverage becomes critical and we look forward to more articles scheduled for the coming weeks.

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3rd February - Period Living - HIP overview

As awareness grows of the work that The Partnership is doing with period and unusual buildings, Period Living magazine asked us to be the lead contributor for an article they were writing on HIPs and period properties. We were pleased to offer our assistance, and in the March edition, we were given very good coverage.

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16th December 2005 - SAVA - Company review

SAVA, one of the leading Home Inspector assessment centres in England and Wales has published their latest newsletter, “The Home Inspector”. In this edition, there is a review of the experience of Terry Wallace, one of the first qualified Home Inspectors, who completed SAVA’s first commercial home inspection, in conjunction with The Partnership. This is a critical step forward for the industry and as we receive more instructions over the next few weeks, The Partnership is pleased to be assisting in testing the boundaries of the scheme.

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23rd November 2005 - RICS - Company review

The RICS has started a bi-monthly newsletter for all matters concerning Home Inspectors. The work of the Partnership was outlined in that first newsletter, with an article describing our experiences in producing some of the first HIPs in the country.

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