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Since 14 December 2007,all
types of property marketed for sale in
England and Wales have needed a Home Information
Pack (HIP), which includes a home energy rating.
The Pack includes an Energy Performance
Certificate, containing advice on how to cut carbon
emissions and fuel bills. Also included are documents such
as a sale statement, searches and evidence of title.
Currently, any property that was already on the
market on the relevant commencement date still does not need to
have a HIP. The dates vary depending on the type of
property. |
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Frequently, since the final
introduction of the HIP there have been announcements made
by the government regarding alterations to the
implementation of the packs and the regulations governing
the commencement of marketing of a property. |
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Consequently, there is
considerable confusion about HIPs particularly given the
initial postponement which was announced in the last week of
May 2007 from 1st June 2008 to 1st August (4 bedroom
and larger properties only from that first date with the
rest of the market following on in September (3
bedrooms) and finally all other properties in
December 2007). |
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Despite the the confused introduction and misinformation
still circulating about HIPs the reality is that if a
residential property is to be marketed and it is owner
occupied or unoccupied (properties being sold with a tenant
are currently exempt) ie. vacant possession will be given
upon completion of the sale then, in the vast majority of
cases the law requires that a
HIP is produced with all compulsory documentation. |
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There is no pass or fail issue
and the HIP does not compulsorily include a Home Condition
Report (a watered down survey). That mandatory element of
the HIP was scrapped in
May 2007 since, it was probably correctly recognised that an
intending purchaser would commission a Chartered Surveyor to
inspect a property if they had any slight concerns rather
than rely on the information provided by, in many cases,
a significantly less qualified and experienced Home
Inspector. |
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The compulsory elements of the
pack are still quite extensive but if you are planning to
sell please do not be concerned we have got it covered and
we can answer any questions that you may have so taking the
mystery out of the process including an explanation
of the relevance of Energy Efficiency and
Environmental Impact Ratings. |
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What is a HIP?
A HIP provides information about a property, up front and in an easy to
follow format. Compiling the HIP will begin at the first point of marketing.
It will contain information that used to be complied by a solicitor at the
conveyancing stage of the property sale. The HIP is designed to enable
potential buyers to make an informed decision before they put in an offer.
For all properties requiring a HIP it must contain:
An index – a list
of all the documents included and any that are missing
An Energy Performance Certificate (the seller must have their
property certified by a licensed Energy Assessor. The certificate
will provide a rating chart to show how energy efficient the
building is and the likely energy costs of occupying the property)
see diagram opposite
A Sale Statement (basic information about the property)
Evidence of Title (an up to date, official record of who owns the
property)
Local authority searches
Drainage and water searches
Leasehold properties must also provide documents relating to the
lease
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| How will it
affect me? |
| If you want to get
your property on the market and sold as soon as possible, without
incurring unnecessary costs then it is vital that your HIP is
prepared the right way. You cannot begin to market your property
until a HIP is ordered, so speed and accuracy will have a direct
impact on your sale. |
| You can trust us
to source and deliver your HIP quickly and accurately because: |
Every pack we
commission on our clients behalf goes through a quality checking
process ensuring accuracy and compliance with the regulation.
Our pack ordering system has been rigorously tested and is flexible
to allow for everybody’s individual circumstances.
Having the required documents available on time is vital so we have
made sure we have the capacity and resources to make the whole
process quick and stress free.
We have a dedicated providers working behind the scenes monitoring
progress and keeping things moving.
Even if you want to use a multi agency arrangement, you can rely on
us to produce your HIP and we will then work with the other agents
to make the pack available to them as soon as it is ready.
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We want to market
and sell your property for you – that is what we do best!
HIPs are a big change in property selling but we will help make it
easy for you.
At the time of appraising your property, measuring it and taking
photographs, we will talk you through the process of producing and
paying for a HIP.
Then we will:
Immediately
instruct a qualified Domestic Energy Assessor, who will
visit you and conduct a survey for the Energy Performance
Certificate.
At the same time our HIP team will begin to compile the
essential elements of the pack, including the energy rating
graph.
They will undertake requisition of the necessary local
authority searches
Once the whole HIP process is complete we will provide you
with an email of your HIP.
We will also provide prospective
buyers with all of the important information.
Once your property is sold,
we will electronically transfer the pack to your solicitor, for the
fastest possible progress of your conveyancing. |
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Whatever your
questions are, contact us on 01275 810030
to get the answers |
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