HIPS

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Home Information Packs

Whether you love them or loath them, it would appear Home Information Packs are hear to stay. As a company we are looking to use them positively in terms of assisting  our clients to sell their homes, as well as provide buyers with more up front information about what they are purchasing.

For our home sellers we decide against offering a HIP and Conveyancing service based on one provide. In line with our belief  that the key to success is providing a marketing service  tailored to our individual clients needs, we provide our cleints with a three HIP service options to choose from. This ensures the client can choose a packaage the suits them and their home, as well as their pocket. We offer one of the most competitive priced HIP's services in Lincolnshire with options to pay up front as well as through deferrre payment schemes.

For further information about out HIP services contact anyone of our offices or email us today.

 A Brief Guide to Home Information Packs

Who needs a Pack?

Home information packs are needed for all homes put on the market on or after 14 December 2007. Whoever is marketing the property is responsible for ensuring a valid pack is available. In most cases this will either be the seller or an estate agent such as ourselves.

Homes meeting these descriptions and put on the market before the above date do not need a pack:

  • 1 AUGUST 2007 - homes with four or more bedroom.
  • 10 SEPTEMBER 2007 - homes with three bedrooms.
  • 14 DECEMBER 2007 - homes with two bedrooms or fewer.

Exemptions

  • Mixed use properties (e.g. a flat and shop being sold together)
  • Until April 2008, most new-build properties (ie. Those built under Part L of the Building Regulations 2006). 

Whats in the Pack?

 

  • The document that must be in the HIP are:
  • An index listing the contents of the HIP
  • An Energy Performance Certificate (EPC)
  • A Sale Statement summarising the terms of sale
  • Evidence of title
  • Standard Searches
  • The Lease (where appropriate). 

The seller can choose to include other permitted information (e.g. additional leasehold information, a Home Condition Report, guarantees, or additional searches), if they feel this would improve the Pack.

Energy Performance Certificates and Sales Particulars

The energy rating graphs from the EPC should be included in the written particulars or attached to them as a separate document (see example on the HIPs website).  The graph is used on particulars, as soon as it is available.  In this context, ‘written particulars’ may be electronic or paper and contain any two of the following:

  • A photograph of the property or a room in the property.
  • A plan of the property.
  • A description of the room sizes.

Compiling the Pack

  • We have to make sure that both the Index and Sale Statement have been correctly completed, and that the documents are in the right order.  The index must appear first, followed by the EPC; the remaining documents can be in any order. 
  • We have to ensure all documents need the necessary Regulations.  However, it’s the responsibility of whoever provides a particular document to ensure the information is accurate.

How up to date do the documents need to be?

The age limits on documents only apply when the property is first put on the market. 

Copies of Land Registry documents and any required searches should be no more than three months old at this point, and the EPC no more than a year old. You are not legally required to update the Pack once marketing has started.

Can you still market a property without a pack?

Yes,  homes can be put on the market without a pack, providing;

  • all the necessary document shave been requested and paid for,
  • or a commitment to pay for them has been made. 
  • The documents should be made available within 28 days.

If marketing has started without a pack, we have to ensure that one is made available as soon as the EPC has been recieved. At this stage it should include the following at least:

  • Index
  • EPC
  • Sale Statement
  • Land Registry Documents Concerning Title

Any missing documents should be noted in the Index and we have to do all you can to get hold of them as quickly as possible.

Who can see the pack?

Any potential buyers are entitled to receive a copy of the pack, or any part of it, if they request it – and they should receive this within 14 days.

The only exceptions to this rule are where it is believed that:

  • The person making the request could not afford the property in question.
  • The person making the request is not really interested in buying the property .
  • The potential buyer is not a person to whom the seller would wish to sell the property.
  • However, this does not allow the responsible person to unlawfully discriminate against anyone.

If a request for a hard copy of the HIP is made we are allowed to make a reasonable charge to cover copying and postage costs. Alternatively we are can arrange to email of a .pdf document copy of the HIP for open in on a PC.

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Are you HIP Exempt?

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Are you HIP Exempt?

Home Information Pack duties have  been applied to all residential properties in England and Wales marketed since 14 December 2007. The vast majority of sales of residential properties will be subject to these duties, but there are some exceptions.

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What is an EPC?

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What is an EPC?

Energy Performance Certificates [EPC] are a compulsory element of the Home Information Packs and they tell you how energy efficient a home is on a scale of A-G.

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Have you seen a HIP?

Land Registry Title Plan

Have you seen a HIP?

One of the most remarkable things most agents have seen with the introduction of HIP's is the fact that few sellers and very fewer buyers even both to have a look at what they contain!? But you are all possibly making a mistake.

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