Home Information Pack (HIP)
Confused. Not sure if your property requires a pack. We’re not surprised.
The aim of this page is to answer some of the questions you might have about the new legislation and its impact on your sale or purchase.
What is a Home Information Pack-HIP?
A Home Information Pack is a bundle of document relating to a property being marketed for sale. The purpose of the pack is to speed up the conveyancing process by providing information to potential buyer’s, which was previously only available to the buyer as the conveyance, reaches the later stages. The rationale behind the legislation is that by producing this information to buyers at an earlier stage they can make a reasoned decision as to whether to proceed with the transaction and in turn this will lead to fewer abortive transactions and a speedier conclusion to the live ones.
Should the seller be supplying me with a HIP?
It is the seller’s responsibility to supply the Home Information Pack however the property can be marketed without a HIP provided the HIP has been commissioned before the marketing begins. Properties marketed from the 1st June 2008 will however require a HIP including the EPC before marketing can begin.
For properties marketed from the 1st June 2008, the HIP should be provided within 14 days of request.
The seller may refuse to supply the HIP if s/he believes that the buyer:
- Cannot afford the property,
- Is not really interested in buying the property,
- Is not a person whom the seller would wish to sell the property?
Who pays for the HIP?
The seller is responsible for the cost of the pack. Some HIP providers offer payment options.
The seller is entitled to make a reasonable charge to cover the costs of copying and supplying the pack.
What’s in a HIP?
The Home Information Pack contains a number of compulsory (required) documents and possibly some Optional (Authorised) Documents.
Compulsory Documents
- Home Information Pack Index
- In effect this is simply a contents page)
- Energy Performance Certificate
- The Energy Performance Certificates tell you how energy efficient a home is on a scale of A-G (A being the most energy efficient)
- Sale Statement
- The sale statement provides basic information about the sale property for example the address of the property, whether the property is freehold/leasehold/commonhold, whether the property is registered, sold with vacant possession or tenancies.
- Standard Searches
- The standard searches are the Local Authority Search and Water and Drainage Search.
- Evidence of the seller’s title to the property.
- If the property is leasehold, a copy of the lease
- If the property is commonhold, further information is required (see)
Optional Documents
- A Home Condition Report
- Report into the physical condition of the property akin to a survey.
- Additional Searches
- For example, environmental, coal mining, chancel repair liability searches
- Warranties and Guarantees
- Home Use/ Contents Form
- Home use and home contents forms let sellers give buyers information on a range of matters relating to the property. These include information on boundaries, disputes, notices, services, sharing with neighbours, planning permissions, fixtures and fittings and other matters of interest to potential buyers.
How long with the HIP be valid?
The regulations governing the production of the HIP provide that the different components of the HIP are valid for different lengths of time. Certain HIP documents must be dated no earlier than three months; these are the evidence of the seller’s title and standard search reports. All other HIP documents can be older although the most recent version must always be available. Generally the additional searches provided would be valid for 6 months, after which they are considered by some solicitors to be "out of date". There is however no requirement for these searches to be renewed.
Do I Need A Home Information Pack?
