Below are a list of the most commonly asked questions:
Home Information Packs (HIPs) were introduced from 1 August 2007 to provide more information about a property at the start of the process, in order to help people make informed decisions about viewing or making an offer to buy a home.
From 6 April 2009, changes are being made to Home Information Packs so that more and better information is available from the first day a property is put up for sale.
Buyers should make sure a copy of the HIP is passed to their solicitor or conveyancer as soon as possible, so that essential documents, such as the local property searches, are included early in the process of transferring property from one owner to another.
The benefit to the seller is that any potential buyers can make informed choices and should reduce discoveries down the line which could cause the sale to be delayed – or the buyer to pull out altogether. For the buyer, they benefit by having essential information about properties they may want to buy, free of charge.
A property can only be put on the market when all the required HIP documents have been commissioned and paid for (or a commitment to pay has been made)
Potential buyers are entitled to receive a copy of the HIP, or any part of it from the responsible person on request and this should be provided to them within 14 days. There should be no charge for this, but buyers can be asked to pay a reasonable charge to cover copying and postage for sending a paper copy. The HIP Regulations make no provision for charging for an electronic copy of a HIP.
Sellers should complete the PIQ and should also see the other documents in the HIP for their own home to ensure they are accurate. Sellers are usually given an electronic copy of the pack free of charge from their estate agent but can be asked to pay a reasonable charge to cover copying and postage for sending a paper copy. Where a seller has instructed multiple estate agents, they will each need to have access to the Pack.
While the property is on the market continuously, there is no legal requirement for the seller to purchase a new HIP or update any of the content, except to replace the PEA with an EPC when this becomes available (where appropriate). Where a seller decides to change estate agents or start using an agent where they weren't previously, provided there is no break in marketing, there is still no requirement for them to get a new HIP or refresh the documents in it.
Even after one year, if a seller takes their property off the market after a sale has fallen through, they can go back to the market with the original HIP as long as remarketing starts within 28 days of the sale falling through. Where the Pack is out of date it may be possible to reuse the EPC as long as it is not more than three years old.
From 6 April a property cannot be put on the market until a HIP is available, with the following documents, as a minimum requirement, creating a ‘basic’ pack.
The following documents, if unavailable when marketing begins, must be included in the HIP as soon as possible, and within 28 days.
All HIPs for properties put up for sale on or after 6 April 2009 must include a new Property Information Questionnaire (PIQ) completed by the seller.
This form provides helpful information buyers want to know about a property before making any decisions.
First-time buyers, who often have little experience of buying a home, will find this checklist of questions and answers particularly helpful. By answering these straightforward questions before they put their home up for sale, sellers can help avoid unwanted delays or surprises later on.
From 6 April 2009, a HIP must be available to potential buyers on the first day a property is put up for sale. This should mean that sellers can also see what they have paid for from the start.
An Energy Performance Certificate (EPC) is a record of the actual and potential energy saving aspects of a particular property
The certificate is produced after an assessment of your property has been completed by a Domestic Energy Assessor (DEA). The assessment will focus upon the home's energy performance in relation to such things as:
All that information then provides enough data for a rating to be provided in terms of energy use per sq metre of floor area, energy efficiency based on fuel costs and environmental impact based on carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions.
Within each EPC, there will be a section providing recommendations on how to improved the energy rating of the property if possible.
To see an example of an EPC Report, to see click here
If you advertise your home – even by putting a ‘for sale’ sign in the garden, you need to provide a pack
Enerywyse offers various ways to pay for your pack, ranging from payment via credit card to buy now, pay later.
Generally not if you present a HIP Pack you have upfront when signing with them. In the event that you ask an estate agent to produce your HIP Pack for you, then generally they will have exclusive rights to the pack and you will have to produce a new HIP Pack with each agent.
HIPs have no expiry date.
All documents must be less than three months old for inclusion in a pack except the EPC which may be up to 3 years old. A HIP must be in place before a property can be marketed, but if the local authority and drainage water searches are not immediately available the HIP can be produced without them provided they have been ordered and the pack is updated to include them within 28 days. If the EPC is not available after a delay of 14 days the property can be marketed without it, but again the HIP must be updated to include it within 28 days.
All you need to do is ask whoever is advertising the property for a copy of the HIP. If it is through an estate agent, they must provide this free of charge – although they may make a charge for copying and posting.
Seller:If you are selling your home, you can use a variety of methods when organising your HIP. This can be through an estate agent, a solicitor, specialist pack provider, using other businesses who offer the service or indeed you can compile one yourself.
You do not need a pack if: