Home Information Packs
Your questions answered
If you are a developer or an estate agent…
Ward Hadaway are able to provide your complete residential property package.
We can produce full Home Information Packs (HIPs) and handle all your associated conveyancing needs.
We currently act for many of the region’s leading developers and estate agents in producing their HIPs.
What’s the story?
HIPs are documents which must be available to prospective buyers when marketing certain residential property.
A HIP contains both legal and practical information. Every pack must include an Energy Performance Certificate (or a Predicted Energy Assessment in the case of properties in the course of construction), as well as certain searches and evidence of ownership.
Sellers have the option of including a Home Condition Report giving basic details of the condition of a property.
The Government introduced HIPs in phases during 2007 and now any house or flat that is being put on the market will require a HIP.
The only exception is for a brand new property under construction. These are subject to special rules which allow them to be marketed and sold without a HIP.
It is expected that April 2008 will see new builds included in the scheme.
Properties that were on the market prior to the relevant date with the intention of being sold by that date do not need a HIP for the time being, but it is likely that this exclusion will disappear some time in 2008.
What do I do next?
If you think that you may need HIPs advice, or are unsure about the rules governing their use, then please do not hesitate to get in touch with our team.
If you are an estate agent, please contact Hilary Brown on 0191 204 4134.
If you are a developer, please contact Rukhsanah Haroon on 0191 204 4126 or Ian Knaggs on 0191 204 4133.
Alternatively you can email either of our contacts at residentialhips@wardhadaway.com
Your enquiry will be treated in the strictest confidence.