From 1 June 2007 it will be mandatory for a home owner to prepare a Home Information Pack (HIP) before putting their property up for sale. The aim of the new law is to make the home buying and selling system more efficient and transparent by providing a set of essential documents, containing important information about the property, to potential Buyers at an early stage.

We are able to prepare the pack on your behalf and gather together the necessary information swiftly, to enable you to place your property on the market with your preferred estate agent.

Our Residential Property specialists are able to offer advice and assistance. We will be happy to discuss the likely costs with you or provide more information on the deferred payment options which are available, to help to spread the cost of providing the pack or to enable the costs to be collected from the sale proceeds, rather than at the early stages of marketing.

The Home Information Pack Regulations 2007 set out provisions on the “required” and “authorised” content of the Pack. Required documents must be included in the pack where appropriate and authorised documents may be included at the seller’s discretion.

The required documents are:

• An index (a list of the contents of the Pack)
• An Energy Performance Certificate (EPC)
• A sale statement (summarising terms of sale)
• Standard searches (local authority search and a drainage and water search)
• Evidence of title
• Where appropriate, commonhold information (including a copy of the commonhold community statement)
• Where appropriate, leasehold information (including a copy of the lease, information on service charges and insurance)

The authorised documents include:

• Guarantees and warranties
• Other searches
• A Home Condition Report
• Home use and contents forms