(1888PressRelease)
November 12, 2007 - Home Information Packs could be used by thieves to target your identity or even steal your property according to a warning issued by estate agents Goldenberg Real Estate.
The agents who sell flats and houses London’s upmarket Mayfair and St James’s districts say title deeds, leases and inventories which required in HIPs provide more than enough information for an unscrupulous individual to gain access to your personal details to falsify records or even enable them to steal the ownership of your home.
Although much criticised, Home Information Packs are a compulsory requirement when your home goes on the market and are made available to anyone who enquires about it.
A spokesman for Goldenberg Real Estate said, “We shall take steps to ensure our HIPs are only provided to bona fide buyers, however there are thousands of homes for sale across the country at any one time and the vast number of HIPs lying around will increase the danger of identity theft”.
Just this week the Land Registry stopped proving deeds to houses and flats on their web site for the specific reason of potential theft.
Sellers are advised to ensure their own estate agent is as security conscious as Goldenberg Real Estate are.
The agents who sell flats and houses London’s upmarket Mayfair and St James’s districts say title deeds, leases and inventories which required in HIPs provide more than enough information for an unscrupulous individual to gain access to your personal details to falsify records or even enable them to steal the ownership of your home.
Although much criticised, Home Information Packs are a compulsory requirement when your home goes on the market and are made available to anyone who enquires about it.
A spokesman for Goldenberg Real Estate said, “We shall take steps to ensure our HIPs are only provided to bona fide buyers, however there are thousands of homes for sale across the country at any one time and the vast number of HIPs lying around will increase the danger of identity theft”.
Just this week the Land Registry stopped proving deeds to houses and flats on their web site for the specific reason of potential theft.
Sellers are advised to ensure their own estate agent is as security conscious as Goldenberg Real Estate are.
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