Low Cost Home Improvement Packs (HIPS)

We can provide your HIP (Home Information Pack) from £149.99 inclusive when you instruct us in the Conveyancing of your House. Please call or Contact us online for further details.

What is a HIP?

The Home Information Pack (also known as the HIP) from the 6th April 2009 is compulsory for most homes on the market in England and Wales.
Why do you need a HIP?
A HIP is a set of documents that provides the buyer with important information on the property and must be provided by the seller or the seller's agent. It is a legal requirement to have a HIP and you should not market your property without one.
The HIP lets buyers see important information about the property at the start of the house buying process, it is free of charge to the buyer. This should mean there is less chance of buyers becoming aware of any surprises at the end of the process. The HIP cmay help to reduce delays and extra expense to the buyer and seller.

What does a HIP contain

The HIP is made up of required (compulsory) and authorised (optional) items.
There shouldn't be any marketing or advertising material in the pack, so make sure it contains official information only.

Listed below are all the compulsory documents that need to be included.

Compulsory documents

Freehold properties

• Home Information Pack Index
• The new Property Information Questionnaire (PIQ), from 6 April 2009
• Energy Performance Certificate (EPC) or Predicted Energy Assessment (PEA)
• Sustainability information (required for newly built homes)
• Sale statement
• Evidence of title
• Standard searches (local authority and drainage and water)

Leasehold properties

• all the compulsory documents above
• a copy of the lease

Optional documents

Other documents can be included within your HIP, but these are optional. If they are included, it may help to speed up the sale and ensure that the process goes more smoothly.These include:

• Home Condition Report
• legal summary
• home use/contents form
• other documents like specialist searches (for example, the seller may choose to include a mining search in a mining area)

Buyers

From 6 April 2009, the HIP must be available on the first day a property is marketed for sale. If you are buying a property, just ask whoever is advertising it for sale for a copy of the Home Information Pack. This is usually an estate agent, but could be another business or individual.
They must give you a copy of the pack free of charge. However,they may make a reasonable charge to cover the costs of copying and posting it.

Sellers

From 6 April 2009, the 'responsible person' (in most cases, the estate agent) will not be allowed to market your property unless the HIP is available. You'll need to make arrangements to have a HIP compiled (including paying for it) along with other preparations for selling your home. However, if there's a delay in getting certain documents, like the local searches, these can be added after your house is put on the market.

Who pays for the HIP?

The seller is responsible for the cost of a HIP.