HIPs FAQ
Legal requirements and HIP questions:
When do I have to provide a Home Information Pack?
Do we need the completed HIP before the property is marketed?
What is an Energy Performance Certificate?
I'm selling my house privately - do I need a Home Information Pack?
Do I have to put electrical certificates in my Pack?
I've lost guarantees of work I have had done - what do I do?
Should the pack include a Home Condition Report?
What is included in the Pack?
What is required if the property is Leasehold?
What is required if the property is Commonhold?
What is required if the property is unregistered?
Do new homes still require a HIP?
How long is a HIP valid for?
Questions about our service:
Before you have ordered
How much do you charge for a HIP?
Do you charge extra for Leasehold or Commonhold properties?
How long does it take before the HIP is delivered?
How will you send me my HIP?
Do I need a printed hard copy HIP?
How is the EPC energy survey carried out?
Can you provide a HIP without an EPC (Energy Performance Certificate)
Can I choose which parts of the HIP I order from you?
I am a property agent or professional, can I put our company logo on the HIPs we produce?
How do I pay?
Can we pay by bank transfer or cheque?
Can you invoice us?
Can I cancel my application and can fees be refunded?
I want to offer support services for your HIP product, can we work with you?
I am an Domestic Energy Assessor (DEA), can I work with you?
If you have already ordered
How can I amend or resubmit details on my HIP order?
Can I cancel my application and can fees be refunded?
I've forgotten my login email or password?
I have not received anything, when will I receive something?
How far has my HIP application progressed?
Legal requirements and HIP questions:
When do I have to provide a Home Information
Pack?
Since 14 December 2007 every home put on the market in England and Wales no matter what
size, must have a Home Information Pack.
Do we need the completed HIP before the property
is marketed?
No the HIP does not have to be completed, but you do need proof that the HIP has been
commissioned.
What is an Energy Performance Certificate?
The Energy Performance Certificate (EPC) is part of a Home Information Pack. The
certificates are commissioned by the seller (or their agent) from an accredited Energy
Assessor, who visits the property to collect the relevant data and creates the
certificate. This data includes the date, construction and location of the house and
relevant fittings (heating systems, insulation or double glazing, for example). Once the
HIP has been ordered we will contact you by telephone to arrange a convenient date on
which to carry out the Energy Survey. The energy assessment is usually performed within 3
working days of ordering the HIP.
I'm selling my house privately - do I need a Home
Information Pack?
If you are marketing your property, even if it's just by putting a 'for sale' sign in the
window, you need a Pack. Sales where no marketing takes place (e.g. to a member of the
family) won't need a Pack.
Do I have to put electrical certificates in my
Pack?
Electrical certificates (past or present) are not a required component of the Pack, but
can be included if the seller has them.
I've lost guarantees of work I have had done -
what do I do?
Don't worry - guarantees aren't a required component of the Pack, but can be included if
you have them.
Should the pack include a Home Condition Report?
A Home Condition Report could help you sell your property more quickly if it shows that it
is in good condition, or if it highlights any problems straight away for potential buyers,
it can avoid nasty surprises for buyers later in the process.
What is included in the Pack?
The Home Information Pack consists of the following documentation:
- Local Authority Search
The Local Authority Search is a check against any plans that may affect the property being
sold. The search looks for planning proposals such as new roads, changes to road layouts,
building developments in the vicinity and alterations to land use and public rights of
way.
- Drainage and Water Search (Con29)
The Drainage and Water Search includes information relating to the connection of water and
sanitation services, adoption agreements, services within the property, statutory
agreements, basis of charging for services and proximity to public system, etc.
- Energy Performance Certificate
The Energy Performance Certificate or EPC indicates the Energy Efficiency and CO2 rating
for a home on a scale of A-G (A being most efficient). The EPC is issued by an energy
assessor following a survey of the home.
- Land Registry Title Documents
The Land Registry Official Titles provide information on the current registered owner(s)
of the property, their associated rights and the boundaries of the properties illustrated
on a plan.
- Additional Leasehold or Commonhold documentation
If the tenure of the property being sold is leasehold or Commonhold then additional
documentation will be required in order to make the HIP compliant. Details about the
additional documentation can be found on the official Home Information Pack website.
What is required if the property is Leasehold?
- A copy of the lease.
A review in June 2008 will determine whether the following will be required in addition:
- Any regulations or rules that apply to the property that
aren't mentioned in the lease and any proposed amendments to same.
- Statements or summaries of service charges covering the
previous 36 months.
- Where appropriate, the most recent requests for payment of
service charges, ground rent, insurance against damage for the building in which the
property is situated, and insurance in respect of personal injury caused by or within the
building during the 12-month period before marketing began.
- The name and address of the current or proposed lessor,
and details of any managing agent that has been appointed or proposed by the lessor to
manage the property.
- A summary of any works being undertaken or proposed that
will affect the property or the building in which it's situated.
What is required if the property is Commonhold?
- An official copy of the individual register and title plan
for the common parts. This is in addition to official copies for the unit (see our section
on Evidence of title).
- An official copy of the commonhold community statement.
- Copies of any regulations or rules not described in the
commonhold community statement and any amendments proposed to those regulations or to the
commonhold community statement.
- Copies of any requests for payments made in the previous
12 months in respect of commonhold assessment, reserve fund levy and insurance (if not
covered by a request for commonhold assessment).
- The name and address of any managing agent or other person
appointed or proposed to be appointed by the commonhold association to manage the
commonhold.
- A summary of current or proposed works affecting the
commonhold.
What is required if the property is unregistered?
For sales of unregistered land, the HIP must include copies of a certificate of an
official search of the index map and those documents that the seller intends to rely on to
provide evidence of title to the property, and thus the right to sell it.
Do new homes still require a HIP?
Where a home is marketed "off-plan" before it is physically complete, it will
need a Pack (subject to the Packs phased implementation) but it will not have a full
Energy Performance Certificate (EPC). Instead the Pack will contain a Predicted Energy
Assessment. This will look similar to the graphs from a full EPC and will be produced from
the design plans for the building rather than a physical inspection.
How long is a HIP valid for?
While the property is on the market, there is no need to update the Home Information Pack
(ultimately, the market decides whether the documents remain acceptable and up to date).
Questions about our service:
Before you have ordered
How much do you charge for a HIP?
When you enter the property details online you will be shown the price you will be
charged. The price may fluctuate slightly dependent on the local authority catchment area.
This is because different authorities charge different rates on local searches.
Do you charge extra for Leasehold or Commonhold
properties?
Yes an additional fee is charged on Leasehold and Commonhold properties. This is to cover
the administration costs associated with ordering the additional documentation. We strive
to keep these additional costs as low as possible. When you enter the property details
online you will be shown the price you will be charged.
How long does it take before the HIP is
delivered?
Our average turnaround on a HIP order is currently 10 working days.
How will you send me my HIP?
We will email it to you. The completed HIPs are provided in Adobe Acrobat (PDF) format as
a complete document or as sub documents relating to each section. This allows you to file
and keep the documents for as long as they are needed, and to print multiple copies if you
wish. The PDF can then easily be emailed to interested parties, or printed off.
Do I need a printed hard copy HIP?
No. There is no legal requirement to have a printed version of your HIP providing the pack
is in a readable format and can easily be viewed by prospective buyers. We send your HIP
as a PDF document that can be easily be emailed to interested parties, or printed off.
How is the EPC energy survey carried out?
Once the HIP has been ordered we will contact you by telephone to arrange a convenient
date on which to carry out the Energy Survey. The energy assessment is usually performed
within 3 working days of ordering the HIP.
Can you provide a HIP without an EPC (Energy
Performance Certificate)
No. We only provide a complete HIP service including the EPC.
Can I choose which parts of the HIP I order from
you?
No. We only provide a complete HIP service which includes all the required elements.
I am a property agent or professional, can I put our company logo on the HIPs we
produce?
Yes you can present them using your own brand or company name.
How do I pay?
You enter the property details and a price is quoted on screen. If you want to
proceed, you can pay by credit card. If you already have Google Checkout you can use this
option. We cannot accept cheques or bank transfers.
Can we pay by bank transfer or cheque?
At the moment our service is set up for credit card only – so that payment is instant
and we can get on with processing the HIP as quickly as possible. If we have to wait for a
cheque to arrive and clear it slows the whole process down. Most users have a firm credit
card or expenses card.
Can you invoice us?
No, we can only accept payment prior to order. The system automatically sends you a
payment receipt for your records.
Can I cancel my application and can fees be
refunded?
Unfortunately not. Once you have paid your application is automatically submitted. We
cannot refund fees as our system immediately initiates processes with third parties and
makes the necessary applications straight away. Please see our Terms of Use for more information on this point.
I want to offer support services for your HIP
product, can we work with you?
We use a panel management company to coordinate all our third party activity. It
is currently the most practical way for us to operate our system nationally with 100% UK
coverage. We are not able to pass out their details due to arrangements we have in place.
I am an Domestic Energy Assessor (DEA), can I
work with you?
We use a panel management company to coordinate all our DEA activity. It is currently the
most practical way for us to operate our system nationally with 100% UK coverage. We are
not able to pass out their details due to arrangements we have in place.
If you have already ordered
How can I amend or resubmit details on my HIP
order?
Please Contact Us if you have already submitted
your HIP application and need to make an amendment.
Can I cancel my application and can fees be
refunded?
Unfortunately not. Once you have paid your application is automatically submitted. We
cannot refund fees as our system immediately initiates processes with third parties and
makes the necessary applications straight away. Please see our Terms of Use for more information on this point.
I've forgotten my login email or password?
Your email address is the one you entered when you started your application. Your
password is emailed to that email address. If you have not received your password please
check your Junk folder in case your email messenger has treated the email as spam. If you
cannot find your password please Contact Us and
ask us to resubmit for password to you.
I have not received anything, when will I receive
something?
The process is as follows:
- 1 working day
Your login password is emailed to you within 1 working day of you making your payment.
After that you can login and track the progress of your application yourself.
- 3 working days
We will contact you by telephone to arrange a convenient date on which to carry out the
Energy Survey. The energy assessment is usually performed within 3 working days of
ordering the HIP.
- 10 working days
Our average turnaround on a HIP order is currently 10 working days. However for some
searches it can take longer. Please Contact Us
if your order has not been fulfilled within 14 working days.
How far has my HIP application progressed?
You can track the exact progress of your HIP by logging on to the account. You login with
the email address you used when applying, and use the password which our system emailed to
that email address. |
