Hips will become law on 1 june this year (supposedly), so if you are planning to put your property on the market in august u will need one whether u like it of not. Personally id say get it on before June! (then u have til December to sell it without needing to provide a HIP)

£399 is about an average price for them. Check out the governments advice regarding them though (google gov + HIPS) as i work for an estate agent and its news to me that if we apply for the HIPS it belongs to us! It should belong to u, u are paying for it afterall. Surely by what he says, if the lawyers pay for the HIPS, then it would belong to them instead of the estate agent, wouldnt it? So if u were dissatisfied with them, u would be locked in with them instead? U should only be paying the lawyers/estate agents once the property sale completes. Most seem to want you to pay for the HIPs up front.

Most estates agents im aware of are not producing the HIPS themselves but employing a HIPs provider to do so for them, effectively contracting it out, as are some local solicitors, so how can it then belong to them? Sounds like this lawyer is using scare tactics with u to get u to use them instead of an estate agent! The HIP goes with the house, so makes no difference whether u have a sole agent or joint agency acting for u. Theoretically u can provide your own HIPS independantly of estate agents, or solicitors if u have a providor willing to do one for u! The HIP has to be produced by a HIP provider, so how can it NOT be compliant? Plus, they will include the local authority searches, so it sounds to me like he's spinning u a line.

The same solicitor still cannot act on behalf of a buyer and vendor as it produces a conflict of interest, this will remain once HIPs are introduced.

If i were u, id talk with other solicitors, and estate agents, plus look online for info, but regardless, i would NOT recommend using this firm if this is the tactics they employ.