HIPs become a legal requirement for property sellers across the UK on the 1st June 2007.

What is a Home Information Pack?

The government has introduced Home Information Packs in England and Wales. Although available now on a voluntary basis they become compulsory from the 1st June 2007. This means that every person putting a property on the market for sale after this date must have a Home Information Pack (HIP) available on their property.

The pack will include local searches and other legal documentation plus an Energy Performance Certificate (EPC). A Home Condition Report giving details on the condition of a property for sale can also be included in the pack on a voluntary basis.

How will Home Information Packs help the current buying and selling process?

The Government believes that Home Information Packs will reduce the stress of buying and selling a property by providing key documents from the time a property is put on the market for sale. Currently, this information is not usually made available until after an offer to buy has been negotiated.

Home Information Packs will aim to increase confidence in the sale process. Estate agents marketing property for sale with packs will be required for the first time, to belong to an approved consumer redress scheme. This means that more peace of mind and a better standard of service for customers.

What is in a Home Information Pack?

The packs will include the key documents that are normally required when properties are bought and sold. Some documents will be mandatory and others optional. The Government will spell out which documents fall into the two categories and they are expecting to specify the following:

The mandatory documents are likely to include the following:

• An Index
• A sales statement (summarising the terms of sale)
• Proof of ownership
• Standard property searches
• An Energy Performance Certificate (EPC)
• Commonhold and leasehold information if appropriate

Optional documents will include:

• A home condition report
• Guarantees and warrantees
• Other searches relevant to any particular area

Additionally, for leasehold properties:

• A copy of the lease
• Most recent service charge accounts and receipts
• Building insurance policy details and payment receipts
• Regulations made by the landlord or management company
• Memorandum and articles of the landlord or management company
• Are there any exclusions from the Home Information Pack regulations?

Home Information Packs will not be required on the following:

• Private sales where the property is not offered on the open market (eg. to a family member, neighbour, or friend)
• Non-residential property or where homes are in mixed use with commercial property
• Properties sold with sitting tenants and not available for owner occupation
• Portfolios of residential property
• 'Right to Buy' sales by Local Authorities or other social landlords
• Homes held on a lease of less than 21 years

What is a Home Condition Report?

The Home Condition Report element of the Home Information Pack is a completely new report format, which has been developed by the Government with the help of organisations such as the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors. It will cover the general condition of the property bearing in mind its age, character and location and highlight any defects requiring action.

The Home Condition Report will be a 'mid range' survey similar in detail to the current Homebuyers' Survey and Valuation Report, but excluding the valuation.

Download a Home Information Pack