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Home Information Packs
From December 2007, all residential properties being placed on the market for sale require a Home Information Pack (HIP). Under government legislation designed to improve the home buying and selling process a HIP will be required at the point when the property is marketed for sale. The purpose of the pack is to provide consumers with better information early in the process, to improve the speed and certainty of transactions, and reduce wasted costs. A key part of the pack will be the inclusion of an Energy Performance Certificate (EPC) which is being introduced as part of much wider government reforms to cut carbon emissions from homes in accordance with European legislation.
What should I expect to see in a HIP?
The HIP remains essentially a pack of legal information together with an Energy Performance Certificate. This certificate can only be provided by a qualified Domestic Energy Assessor. Under the confirmed final regulations the “required” elements of the pack are as follows:
- An Energy Performance Certificate
- An index of contents
- A sale statement (summarising terms of sale)
- Evidence of title
- Searches
- Leasehold or commonhold documents where appropriate.
The Pack can also include other information that would be of interest to buyers – for example, a Home Condition Report, other searches and guarantees and warranties.
Who will supply the Home Information Pack?
Those dealing with the sale of a property will remain central to the provision of the HIP, namely the Estate Agent and the Solicitor. As the document primarily consists of legal information BHP Law are ideally placed to provide you with your Home Information Pack as part of our estate agency and conveyancing service and by using BHP direct you will avoid any unnecessary additional hidden costs to third parties.
Our all-inclusive property sales package in conjunction with BHP Home includes a Home Information Pack together with the associated legal work in connection with the HIP. We will of course also undertake the subsequent conveyancing legal work in connection with your sale once an offer has been accepted. Within our all-inclusive fee you will also get access to our team of independent mortgage advisers to assist you with the finance of any related purchase as appropriate.
What if my property is being sold by another estate agent but I want BHP to provide my HIP and do the legal work connected to the sale and any other purchase?
Even if we don’t sell your property at BHP Home we would be delighted to provide your Home Information Pack and undertake the related legal work in connection with your sale and any related purchase. All you need to do is inform your estate agent that BHP will be providing your HIP and doing the legal work and put them in touch with us and we will do the rest as part of our “HIP Plus” service.
Our HIP preparation service will ensure you continue to benefit from the local knowledge and expertise of a regional law firm where speed, efficiency and quality of service have always been the priority. As the North's leading regional law firm, we are committed to providing our clients with HIPs. With qualified energy assessors using technology to add value, our bespoke HIP preparation service comes with the availability of no up front fees.
Home Information Pack Options
We appreciate that not everyone will want to buy their HIP as part of an all-inclusive package so we have provided you with various purchase options depending upon your circumstances.
Unlike many other HIP providers our HIP service also includes paper copies together with a further electronic copy being available on-line.
With a dedicated in-house team in place to provide Home Information Packs you will benefit from the same quality service levels provided by BHP as part of their recognised Lexcel quality assurance standard. Using case management software to add value to their service, technology plays a key part in allowing us to deliver an efficient and cost effective Home Information Pack service.
What if I need help to interpret a HIP on a property I am looking to buy?
As any Home Information Pack will contain legal information we also recognise that clients may need advice and guidance about the contents of any pack. Our HIP Check service will allow you to seek clarification from specialists within our parent law firm on the contents of any pack linked to a property you wish to buy.
What should you do next?
If you are interested to talk to us further about our Home Information Pack service or to obtain a quote contact any member of our team or e-mail us at
info@bhplaw.co.uk
