Home Information Pack (HIP)

A Home Information Pack (HIP) contains essential information about your property which in England and Wales you must make available, free of charge, to people interested in buying it (subject to a few exceptions).

You can get your estate agent or solicitor to put a HIP together for you, or you can do it yourself. Information which goes into a HIP includes:

• An energy performance certificate, which works out how energy efficient your property is
• A sale statement. This has basic information about your property, such as whether it is freehold, leasehold or common hold and whether or not it is being sold with vacant possession
• Local authority searches
• the provision of drainage and water services to the property
• evidence that you own the property.

From 14 December 2007, all properties which are put on the market need a HIP. It doesn't matter how many bedrooms the property has. But up until 1 June 2008, you can market the property just as soon as you have commissioned a HIP, rather than when you actually receive the HIP. An energy performance certificate must be available before contracts are exchanged but there is no set limit on when the rest of the HIP must be provided.

For more information about HIPs, including the rules about when you don't have to show the HIP to a potential buyer, go to www.homeinformationpacks.gov.uk

 

Contact us now for full details.