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THE WHITE & SONS PROPOSITION
We will organise and take responsibility for the H.I.P. We have our own Energy Inspector who will be able to deal with your property quickly and efficiently. We can also help to explain legal documents and search results initially.
In short there really is little that you need to do-leave it to us.
NOTE The H.C.R. (Home Condition Report) is no longer a requirement.
More detailed information follows:-
From 1st August 2007, the law required that the sellers of residential property or their estate agents must have commissioned a H.I.P. before putting their homes up for sale. From 6th April 2009 the main elements of the HIP (excluding searched and a copy lease-if leasehold) and the EPC will need to be available prior to marketing the property.
For properties being marketed from 6th April 2009 a new element has been added. The property Information Questionnaire (PIQ). This contains information about the property which must be completed by the seller. This will form part of the HIP.
The regulations only apply to homes that began marketing after 1st August 2007. Any property on the market before 1st August 2007 can be marketed without a HIP, but an EPC is required for all properties. The EPC will be valid for 3 years.
For domestic rental properties fom October 1st an EPC must be available to new tenants, but is not required for existing tenants. A rental EPC lasts 10 years.
All Commercial properties require an EPC - please enquire.
An explanation of the basic requirements for the H.I.P. follows. For the time being at least the H.I.P. is in a much reduced form from the original proposals and should cause very little disturbance to the market.
In practice a clients estate agent or solicitor will take responsibility for obtaining the H.I.P. (Although a householder may commission his own H.I.P.) which should be available within a very short period – probably 3-7 days in the majority of cases.
The cost for the basic H.I.P. will vary but should usually be between £300-£400.
White & Sons will take full responsibility for providing the HIP and EPC or validating an existing HIP or EPC.
Mandatory H.I.P. Contents – as at December 2007:
1) Index of H.I.P. contents
2) PIQ - Property Information Questionnaire.
3) Energy Performance Certificate (see explanation) or Interim or Predicted Certificate if building not built or incomplete.
4) Sale Statement (Vendor’s address and property being sold)
5) Sustainability Certificate (new homes only).
The elements above in bold type are required before marketing can commence.
PROOF OF TITLE
5a) If freehold, Land Registry certificate plan and index or if unregistered, sufficient evidence of ownership to deduce title (ie. deeds).
bb) If leasehold – a copy of the lease. Note: If this is not available from the vendor an additional charge of £25 will be levied to access this information from the Land Registry to cover their additional charges.
Non mandatory but authorised H.I.P. documents:
These items may be placed in the H.I.P. but are not a requirement:
a) Home Condition Report – a form of survey with a graded assessment of its condition.
b) Sellers information form giving details of what is being sold with the property and information about works carried out, guarantees, etc.
c) A description of the property, maps, plans, etc.
d) An explanation of the title, boundaries, rights of way, etc.
e) Further information that may affect the property.
f) A summary and explanation of the H.I.P. documents including legal advice.
White & Sons can offer a Platinum H.I.P. including the non-mandatory items outlined above if requested. – ask for details.
Please note:
This is a brief guide prepared by White & Sons and not a definitive statement of the law.
For more detailed advice, contact your legal adviser or see the government website at: www.homeinformationpacks.gov.uk.
Please Note: The H.I.P. provisions are subject to change and White & Sons will do our best to ensure that our clients are updated where necessary. Whilst we take take full responsibility of ensuring that the H.I.P. complies with current legislation, we cannot be held responsible for the accuracy of information contained in the H.I.P. that is sourced by third parties.
What is an E.P.C. (Energy Performance Certificate)
A report is carried out on your home by a qualified energy performance inspector. He will access the energy efficiency of your home with regard to insulation, heating efficiency, double glazing etc. Your home will then be graded A-G and the results will be shown eg:-
The governments intention is that this will enable purchasers to make a more informed choice when buying, but our experience so far would indicate that most purchasers are still choosing homes in the traditional way by desirability, space and location.
Updated 25/03/09