Home Information Packs (HIPs)

Home information Pack is a legal requirement, if you are planning to sell your house. Such a document is not needed if you are selling it off to your own family members, relatives or friends. This helps you to market your property without which you can’t sell. The HIP lets buyers see important information on the property at the start of the process, free of charge.

If you are marketing your property, even if it's just by putting a 'for sale' sign in the window, you need a HIP. Instead, sales where there’s no room for marketing (e.g. to a member of the family or a friend) will not require a HIP. The Energy Performance Certificate or EPC is a mandatory requirement in a HIP pack.

There are certain documents which has to be present in a home information pack, before selling it:
• Home Information Pack Index
• Standard searches
• Evidence of title
• Energy Performance Certificate
• An additional information for leasehold and common hold sales, where appropriate.
• Sale statement

This means there is less chance of buyers becoming aware of any surprises at the end of the process that can cause delays and extra expense to the buyer and seller. A buyer will have all the details about the house written and it’ll not be held in confidentiality. This allows for transparency in the purchase of a property. You as a seller will bear the cost of the HIP and this cost of HIP is influenced by market forces. You can, however, defer the costs until later on in the sale transaction. You need to pay this, to your HIP pack provider.