North man hopping mad over HIP fees

Aug 17 2008 by Ian Robson, Sunday Sun

HIP, hip, no hooray for Ron Harland’s home information pack.

Ron complained because he thought he had been overcharged by his estate agent.

Bairstow Eves said the £527.58 charge including VAT was right.

And there the matter might have been of little interest to me if it had not been for what happened next.

Ron wrote to Bairstow Eve’s parent company Countrywide plc.

And Peter Speke, the company’s liaison officer to the Ombudsman for Estate Agents, said he HAD been overcharged.

He said: “It is clear you have, unfortunately, been overcharged in relation to the HIP.”

Mr Speke asked Mark Christopher, the managing director of Bairstow Eves North East, to investigate.

Mr Christopher told me: “Mr Harland’s dispute will be dealt with in accordance with our internal complaints procedure.

“Indeed he had already made contact with our local branch and the matter is being dealt with.”

But any hopes Ron may have had of a resolution to his complaint were quickly dashed.

A spokesman for Bairstow Eves said Ron had not been overcharged after all.

Come on, people, let’s start singing from the same song sheet here.

Was he or wasn’t he?

A spokeswoman for Countryside said: “As far as we are aware we have written to the customer outlining the charges were appropriate for the property. He does not appear to have been overcharged.”

And that very clear indication to the contrary by Peter Speke? The same Peter Speke who is liaison officer to the industry’s watchdog organisation.

The spokeswoman added: “The confusion on Mr Harland’s part, and possibly Peter Speke, is that the property was leasehold.

“There is a small difference in price between leasehold and freehold.”

Retired scrapyard worker Ron, 66, of Walker, Newcastle, decided not to go ahead with the sale but still has to pay for the HIP.

He said: “I paid up because I did not want them taking me through the courts. I still thought the amount was steep and asked them to look into it.

“My flat has one bedroom, one living room, and a bathroom and toilet combined.”

The HIP website states the cost of a pack is determined by market conditions.