Simply HIP considers legal action to combat incompetence among local authorities

Simply HIP will consider legal action against any local authority that unreasonably restricts access to data required for Home Information Packs.

Ashley King, managing director of Simply Hip, tells The Negotiator: “If any council excessively restricts access to data, we will consider all actions, including litigation.

“Those failing to provide reasonable access will potentially be held to account – councils have a responsibility as a Government body to provide information in a timely manner. We don’t want anything other than fair play.”

King’s comments come hot on the heels of new research his firm has conducted with OneSearch Direct.

The survey of 350 UK Councils reveals that the London Borough of Hillingdon takes a shocking 33 days to turnaround land searches, with Gravesham not far behind, at 29.5 days.

South Staffordshire District Council topped the best performing Council table, taking just 2.5 days, with the London Borough of Harrow taking just 2.8 days.

The survey also reveals the restrictions to data access that a number of Councils impose, such as Copeland Borough Council, which allows unlimited searches between 10am and 12pm on Friday mornings but only on appointment. Meanwhile, Walsall Council allows five searches per day but only with an appointment made online seven days in advance of a visit. King says: “Whether this is through incompetence on the part of local authorities or anticompetitive behaviour is a moot point. The Government needs to act quickly to get the worst local authorities to get their house in order, particularly as the market is undergoing a difficult period.”

The issue of personal search companies’ access to local authority data has been a contentious for some time. As a result, it has further hindered the successful roll of Home Information Packs, hence the Government’s decision to appoint Land Registry deputy chief executive Ted Beardsall, to assess the issues relating to leasehold information, in terms of access and costs. His findings are imminent.

But King says: “We are writing to the minister for Communities and Local Government, Hazel Blears to demand some action before the housing market collapses under the weight of local authority ineptitude.”

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