Home information packs (Hips) will begin to antagonise sellers next year once they are forced to be in possession of a completed pack before putting their home on the market, Knight Frank Winchester has suggested.
The property consultancy believes that the relatively smooth transition period, begun on August 1st when Hips were required for the sale of properties with four or more bedrooms, will come to a juddering halt on January 1st.
Up until that point vendors need only to have ordered a Hip in order to put their home up for sale, meaning they are not unduly affected by the delays involved.
"We are finding that a number of local authorities that we work with are taking weeks to return Hip searches," said Tom Woods, Hip expert at the Knight Frank branch.
"This potentially means a wait of more than a month – frustrating for vendors wanting to put up for sale immediately because of a chain or to take advantage of a buoyant market," Mr Woods added.
Hips were extended to cover the sale of three-bed properties on September 10th, but no date for a further roll-out has yet been forthcoming from the government.
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