Home Information Packs
When you place your property for sale on the open market, you need to produce a Home Information Pack (HIP). It is a legal requirement to have a HIP prior to marketing a residential property for sale. The intention of this recent piece of legislation is to improve the buying and selling process by giving buyers more information from the outset. The buyer can then make an informed decision early on and should therefore help to reduce the number of aborted sales that take place.
A home information pack must contain:
- An index of information
- Sale statement
- Evidence of title and a title plan
- Local authority search and drainage search
- An energy performance certificate (EPC)
- A property information questionnaire (PIQ)
If your property is leasehold you must also provide a complete copy of the lease with coloured plans.
The following documents may be included in a HIP but are optional and can just be handed to your Solicitor:
- A home condition report, based on a professional survey of the property
- Replies to standard preliminary enquiries made on behalf of the potential buyers
- Copies of any planning, listed building and building regulation consents and approvals
- Any guarantees for work carried out on the property
- Other searches
An energy performance certificate (EPC) will tell home buyers and sellers about a home’s energy efficiency using A to G rating.
The certificate will also make recommendations for cost effective energy saving improvements. The EPC will be carried out by a domestic energy assessor
When instructing Coopers Residential to sell your property we can organise everything on your behalf giving you different options to suit your needs. Alternatively you can obtain your own HIP. Many solicitors now produce them along with a number of specialised HIP companies whose details can be found on line.
As with all things prices vary. At Coopers Residential we offer a number of options ranging from £99 + vat to £300 + vat. Please call to discuss in further detail.
As soon as we are in receipt of the HIP we can commence the marketing of your property. Recommended HIP companies take approximately 7 days to produce the documentation required to start marketing.
You can find out more information about HIPS on the Government website which is an excellent source of information. www.homeinformationpacks.gov.uk or you can call Coopers Residential on 01895 230 103 and we would be happy to discuss any queries you have.