Fom December 14 2007, all home-owners are legally obliged to have ordered a Home Information Pack or HIP for marketing to begin on their house or flat. This relates to properties of all sizes, regardless of the number of bedrooms.
This Government legislation is meant to reduce the amount of wasted time in property purchases, such as the long wait for council searches and leasehold information.
In a further Government announcement, from 1st June, 2008, all home-owners putting their property on the market must have a complete HIP in place for marketing to begin. Once a HIP is in place it's valid for the entire time the property is on the market.
For all Dexters' offices it's business as usual with free HIPS for clients who instruct us to sell their property.
Dexters will be putting HIPs together for our clients. We will be providing free HIPs to clients who instruct us to sell their property.
A HIP remains valid for the duration of your property being for sale. If you decide to take your property off the market, you can still use the existing HIP when the property goes back for sale again, provided this is within 12 months of the validation date of the HIP.
All HIPs must contain the following:
• Standard searches (local authority inquiries, and water and drainage searches)
• The Energy Performance Certificate, designed to ensure home-owners reduce their carbon emissions. See below for more detail.
• Sales statement showing what is being sold
• Evidence of title from the Land Registry
• Index of documents included in the Pack
If your property is leasehold you must also provide:
• A copy of the lease
• Your most recent service charge accounts and receipts
• The policy details of any buildings insurance you have
• Memorandum of Articles of Association of landlord or management company
• Copies of any regulations laid down by either the management company or the landlord
• A Home Condition Report, which provides buyers with information regarding the condition of the property and if any work needs to be done. However buyers ought to be aware that this is information supplied by the seller and is not the same as a full structural or independently commissioned survey.
• Guarantees of any work carried out on the property
• Copies of any planning, listed building consents and approvals
The Government is keen to ensure home-owners act responsibly when it comes to making their home energy efficient. One of our trained energy inspectors will visit your home and assess your property.
Properties will be graded from A (the most energy efficient) to G (the least), and an energy graph will be attached to the property details, giving the potential buyer a general overview of a property’s energy performance.
Our specialist department Dexters Conveyancing will be putting the Packs together free to clients who instruct us to sell their home. We have our own energy efficiency inspectors, so anyone selling through Dexters has a complete package on offer, cutting out the cost, time and headaches for sellers.
Dexters will continue to provide the same level of customer service that thousands of customers every year have come to expect. As part of our ongoing commitment to our clients, we are happy for sellers or buyers to come into their nearest branch with any questions or concerns about HIPs.
If you’d like to find out more about the high standard of service Dexters provides, or more about how we can help you through the HIPs maze, or even just for an obligation-free marketing appraisal, contact your nearest Dexters’ office now.