Buyers Q & A
What do I have to do?
If you are interested in purchasing a property, you should approach the sellers and ask for a copy of the Home Information Pack. The sellers must have had this commissioned before they put the property on the market.
At the moment, HIPs are only required for properties with four or more bedrooms in England and Wales that went on sale after August 1st 2007. The sellers or their agents must provide the Pack within 14 days of request.
The HIP should contain a wide variety of documents about the ownership, structure and energy efficiency of the property.
For a full list of documents found in a HIP, and an explanation on what they should contain, visit our what's inside a HIP section.
What if something is missing?
The index document of the pack should have a checklist of documents included in the pack, as well as explanations for any omissions.
What will the Energy Performance Certificate tell me?
The Energy Performance Certificate contains details of a home's energy efficiency as well as its impact on the environment. It should be displayed in an easy to understand graphical format. It should also give information on ways that the efficiency of the home can be improved, which in turn lowers fuel bills and carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions.
Who puts together HIPs?
The packs are commissioned by sellers or their estate agents. The legal documents - such as the proof of ownership (title documents) are provided by solicitors or the Land Registry. The Energy Performance Certificate is compiled by a certified Energy Assessor, while the optional Home Condition Report is put together by a registered Home Inspector.
Do I have to pay anything?
The seller bears the cost of compiling the pack. You should be able to get a copy for free, but in some cases you may have to pay the cost of copying and postage.
How trustworthy are they?
The information contained in the packs will be useful, but could go out of date quickly. This could result in your solicitor or mortgage provider requiring fresh searches to be carried out. Some industry analysts fear this could mean the packs are disregarded altogether by banks, building societies and the legal profession.