domestic energy assessors

How Do I Compile My Own Home Information Pack?

A Home Information Pack is a must if you are thinking of marketing a property. Actually, the potential buyers are entitled to receive a copy each of the HIP if they are willing to pay for the copies of the HIP and are found eligible for buying the property. As per the Housing Act 2004, you are bound to concede to a prospective buyer's request for a copy of the HIP except when you find that the buyer is;

• Not financially strong enough to go for the purchase and is opting for an 'in principle' mortgage
• Not really willing or interested in the property and is seeking information out of sheer curiosity
• Not a person to whom you would like to sell your home (this again is subject to the condition that you are not making any discrimination on the grounds of race, sex or disability).

New HIP regulations introduced since April 6, 2009

According to the new provisions introduced about the HIP, it has become compulsory for you to remove the temporary first day marketing exemption. When you provide the prospective buyers your HIP, it must contain a new Property Information Questionnaire. The PIQ is supposed to act as a one-stop checklist for providing the buyers an overview of all the basic information regarding the property.

Both the HIP and the PIQ have been devised to reduce the complicacies inherent to the buying and selling process by reducing unnecessary delays of transaction. Under this system, you can no more use insurance in personal searches to cover gaps in missing data. At the most, you could include local searches in your HIP up to 28 days after the first day of the marketing of your property.

Self-compiling Facts

You can self-compile the HIP and that even if you are using an estate agent. The HIP consists of some 'compulsory documents' and some 'optional documents'. For common-hold and leasehold properties, you will need to include some additional documents in the Pack.

All these documents, however, are to be obtained from the right bodies/sources. Thus, you will need to contact a solicitor or conveyancer for obtaining legal documents (even though you can do it yourself too) and for the various searches.

Appropriate local bodies like the Land Registry can also be approached. You can also choose to get your job done by a personal search company. For the Energy Efficiency Rating, you will need to call a registered Domestic Energy Assessor or Home Inspector.

Compiling Compulsory Documents

The HIP Index is a list of the Pack's contents and you can download a sample HIP Index Form from the Internet. You can also download a Sale Statement sample here.

You will need to appoint a DEA for obtaining an Energy Performance Certificate. However, if you are looking for both an EPC and a HCR (Home Condition Report), you only need a Home Inspector, as the HI is certified to issue both the documents.

As for the evidence of title, you will need to approach the Land Registry office. If your home is registered, the copies of the register and title plan will provide evidence of title. Of course, you will need to pay a fee for the documents.

In case your home is not registered, you will need to produce an official result of a search of the index map (SIM). This, again, can be obtained from the Land Registry office.

Compiling Leasehold/Commonhold Documents

As you know, you will need to submit some additional documents along with the required documents. A copy of the lease is the most important of these and if the property is registered, you can collect a copy of the same from the Land Registry office.

Other documents like the management rules, information on service charges, details of the current lessor and/or manager of the property, etc., are usually handed over to the leasee by the lessor when the deal is finalized; hence, these documents are to be included in the pack.

Official copies of the common-hold properties can be collected from the Land Registry office against a fixed fee. Other documents like the commonhold community statement, the details of the managing agent, documents certifying/ demanding financial contributions made for the property, etc. that are in your possession will have to be included in the HIP.

Compiling Optional Documents

The most important among Optional Documents is the Home Condition Report. As already discussed, you will need to contact a Home Inspector for this job. Home-contents and Home-use forms can be downloaded from the Internet.

If you wish to include some additional (specific) search reports, you can do so by taking help from appropriate authorities or arrange for personal searches. Relevant guaranties and warranties on the property can also be included.

The better you compile your HIP - the more the number of documents and the higher the accuracy of the information provided - the better will be your credibility as a property seller.