Date: 12/04/2007
Home Information Packs

The Government is introducing HIP’s as part of wider reforms to cut carbon emissions from homes and to improve the home buying process. The HIP is a set of documents providing information about a property, such as the energy efficiency, boundary ownership, planning permissions, local search and certain other documents for leasehold properties.

Marketing can begin providing the missing documents are added to the pack as soon as possible and there is evidence in the pack these documents have been commissioned. There are financial penalties if the property is placed on to the market without a pack.

With the introduction of Home Information Packs comes a requirement that all estate agents must belong to an independent redress scheme.

James Scollard from Clifftons Estate Agents in Bournemouth comments “We already belong to the Ombudsman for Estate Agents scheme (OEA) and are pleased the whole industry will be regulated from June 2007.

We’ll also be able to offer Home Information Packs for all our clients from this date. If seller’s go “on the market” before 1st June they will not need a pack until December and can save themselves around £450.00.”