As a Seller, providing a Home Information Pack (HIP) up-front will mean that potential purchasers can make more informed decisions about buying your home. This will reduce the likelihood of nasty surprises coming up later and delaying or even preventing the sale. Also, having a Home Condition Report available will show would-be purchasers that you have confidence in your property.
It will provide you with a distinct advantage over persons trying to sell a competing property with only the minimum requirement of an energy certificate instead of a full home condition report. If your property has received good condition ratings from a Home Inspector you are in a strong postion to hold out for a premium price. If a few items were found to be in need of some attention, you can deal with these before any viewings take place. Details of such repairs can be included in your HIP, giving purchasers peace of mind and yourself the best chance of achieving a top selling price.

As a Buyer, the HIP provides important information about properties that you are considering buying. This includes details of the identity of the seller(s), whether the property is freehold or leasehold, evidence of title, local authority and internet searches and so on. If the seller has wisely included a Home Condition Report in the pack you will have the comfort of knowing that a trained and quaified professional has given the property a thorough inspection and will have listed any items requiring repair or refurbishment. From this you can either negotiate the sale price with the seller to take account of the cost of the remedial work, or insist that any faults are put right before you move in.

If a seller hasn't had a Home Condition Report prepared, you should ask yourself why not. With today's property prices as high as they are, the cost for the inspection really is negligible in comparison. What is it that the seller didn't want a qualified Home Inspector to discover? Best to play safe and buy a home that has been professionally checked out.

The Benefits of a HIP In recent months there has been a lot of mischievous, politically-motivated nonsense talked about HIPs. A lot of rubbish varying from ill-informed opinions to downright lies from those with vested interests has appeared in the media.

Ignoring the hype, doesn't it make sense to have full purchasing information in your hand before you make the biggest purchase of your life? You read the labels when you do your weekly shopping; you check out the brochure details before booking your holidays - so what's so outrageous about the idea of home buyers having the opportunity to find out all about a property before committing to buy it?

Looking at it sensibly, isn't it also a good idea to have a trained professional check out an item you are going to commit the largest amount of money you've ever spent in your life on? Most people who purchase a used car will check the service history and demand a valid MOT when they buy. Some will have the AA or RAC carry out an inspection before they commit to the purchase. These car inspections can cost several hundred pounds, so why wouldn't you want a thorough and trustworthy Home Condition Report - which can cost less than a used car inspection - on something costing twenty, fifty, even a hundred times as much?

Earlier, we listed some of the items that are required to be included in a Home Information Pack. You will probably have recognised that very few of these are new additions involving an extra cost - you have always had to pay solicitors or conveyancing firms for these items, and the odds are you never got a proper chance to read them through properly anyway! The difference is that in the past these items usually didn't get properly considered until days or even weeks after the purchasing decision was made, possibly leading to abortive legal work and wasted money when hidden problems materialised. With the new HIP, all this information is available to buyers before they make a commitment. You can take as long as you like checking into the documentation that affects your prospective purchase and be sure that you are fully comfortable with it before taking the plunge.

What is new is the Home Condition Report (HCR) and the Energy Performance Certificate (EPC):

Click on the headings on the left for full information on Energy Performance Certificates and Home Condition Reports.

Buyers and sellers alike can fully rely on the contents of the reports and certificates; the Home Inspectors or Domestic Energy Assessors who prepare them are specially-trained, highly qualified professionals, accredited by a government appointed regulatory body.