HIP's and Your Rights

The Home Information Pack (also known as the HIP) is compulsory for all homes on the market in England and Wales.

Buyers Rights

As a buyer of property in the UK you have the right to see a Home Information Pack for any property you are interested in free of charge. Estate agents and private sellers are required by law to present the buyer with the Home Information Pack on the property in question upon the buyer's request.

The pack will contain various details but must contain some compulsory documents and at the very least:-

The basic HIP must include an index, a sale statement, evidence of title, an energy performance certificate and standard searches.

Compulsory documents

The following documents must be included in a HIP:

Home Information Pack Index
Energy Performance Certificate (EPC)
sustainability information (required for newly built homes only)
sales statement
evidence of title
standard searches (local authority and drainage and water)
a copy of the lease for leasehold properties
commonhold documents where appropriate

The Home Information Pack Index

This index lists the specific documents contained within the HIP

If a document is missing then the index should say why and when it will be available.

The index should be updated whenever documents are added or removed.

Energy Performance Certificate

The Energy Performance Certificate (EPC) gives all the useful information on the energy efficiency of the property.

It gives the building an energy and carbon emission rating and grades from 'A' to 'G' (where 'A' is the best) and any advice on how to improve the rating.

For new homes sold 'off-plan' a predicted energy assessment (PEA) is normally issued.

Sustainability information for newly built homes

Newly built homes must have:

a certificate (or interim certificate) showing the sustainability of the home and how it complies with the standards issued under the Code for Sustainable Homes;
or a nil-rated certificate where the property has not yet been assessed against the Code

The Code gives a measurement of the environmental impact that a new home will have against nine categories ranging from CO2 emissions to the amount of waste generated.

Sale statement

The sale statement provides basic information about the property for sale , including:

the property address
tenure of the property - freehold, leasehold or commonhold
whether the property is registered or unregistered
possession of the property - empty on completion etc
in what capacity the seller is selling the property (eg owner or selling on behalf of a deceased relative etc)

Evidence of title

These documents will prove who are the rightful current owners of the property.

Registered property - If the property is registered, the Land Registry will have details of the owners and these must be included in the HIP. These provide an up-to-date official record of who owns the land, and consist of:

official copies of the individual register
an official copy of the title plan

In the case of the sale of a commonhold interest, official copies of the register and title plan should be produced for both the unit and common parts.

Unregistered land - For sales of unregistered land, the HIP must include copies of a certificate of an official search of the index map, and the documents that the seller intends to rely on to provide evidence of title to the property and the right to sell it.

To find out more detailed advice on the sort of evidence that is usually considered acceptable contact the Land Registry.

Standard searches

The Home Information Pack must also include:

a search of the local land charges register for the property
a search of the records held by the local authority, such as planning decisions and road building proposals – often referred to as local enquiries in the HIP
water authority searches - details on the provision of drainage and water services to the property –