Home Information Packs

HIPS were suspended by the Government with immediate effect on 20th May 2010. Previous to that it was compulsory for the following documents to be included in a HIP:

• Home information Pack Index
• Energy Performance Certificate – tells you how efficient a home is on a scale of A-G. The most efficient homes (which should have the lowest fuel bills) are in band A. The certificate also tells you on a scale of A-G, about the impact the home has on the environment. The average UK home is in bands D-E for both ratings  
• Sale Statement – should provide some basic information about the property including: the address of the property, whether it’s freehold/leasehold/commonhold, whether it’s registered or unregistered, whether it’s being sold with vacant possession 
• Standard Searches – local land charges searches, carried out by personal search company or local authority, when you will receive an official search certificate. Some lenders will not accept a personal search. Other local authority records such as planning decisions and building proposals. In a HIP these are referred to as local enquiries. Drainage and water services to the property. This too can be a personal search, or carried out by the relevant water authority.
• Evidence of Title – this proves that the seller owns the property and has the right to sell it. Where the property being sold is registered, certain documents must be in the HIP. These provide an official up-to-date record of who owns the land and will consist of: official copies of the register – property register/proprietorship register/charges register. An official copy of the Title Plan, additional information for leasehold and commonhold sales, where appropriate. For sales of unregistered land, the HIP must include copies of a certificate of an official Land Registry search of an index map and those documents that the seller intends to rely on to prove evidence of title to the property, and therefore the right to sell it