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~ Home Information Pack Cambridge ~ EPC Cambridge ~ Home Information Pack Newmarket ~
Frequently Asked Questions
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A Home Information Pack (HIP) is a set of documents that are now required when houses are bought and sold.
These must include:
An Index (ie a list of the contents of the HIP)
An Energy Performance Certificate (EPC)
A Sale Statement (summarising the terms of the sale)
Evidence of Title (who owns the property and any restrictions on use)
Standard Searches (eg local authority enquiries and a drainage & water search)
The Lease (if applicable) and other leasehold information (from 01.01.09)
The HIP documents provide important information about a property such as boundary ownership, planning permissions and its energy efficiency. With the exception of the EPC these documents would previously have been obtained at a much later stage, but the HIP ensures that this information is available as soon as the house is marketed, which is intended to speed up and simplify the completion of a house sale and avoid any last minute offer withdrawals or delays.
Do all residential properties need a Home Information Pack?
The majority of homes being sold on the open market now require a HIP. There are a few exceptions for properties with mixed commercial use, homes being sold with a sitting tenant or homes with restricted use or occupancy.
What is an Energy Performance Certificate?
The Energy Performance Certificate (EPC) is a report that measures how efficiently a home is heated and how well it retains that heat, rating its energy efficiency and carbon emissions from A to G on a graph - like those used to rate fridges.
The EPC can only be prepared by a qualified Domestic Energy Assessor (DEA) or a Home Inspector (HI), who is registered with a Government approved Accreditation Scheme. All our assessors are fully qualified local property professionals and they will contact you directly to arrange a convenient appointment time to visit your home and carry out the assessment. The appointment can take up to an hour depending on the property.
The Energy Assessor will take measurements of the property and will need to look at various elements that affect its energy efficiency. He will require access to the roofspace, in order to assess the extent of insulation, and will need to examine the heating system to assess its efficiency. This will include gaining access to the boiler, heating controls and hot water cylinder, where fitted. In addition, he will examine all other areas that are relevant, such as the extent and age of any double glazing, whether cavity wall insulation has been (or could be) installed and the extent to which low-energy light bulbs are present. If you have any evidence in the form of certificates or receipts, to demonstrate that cavity wall insulation has been installed or replacement windows fitted for example, it is useful to show this to the DEA.
What about the other documents in the Home Information Pack?
We obtain most other documents that are required within the Home Information Pack from the Government's Land Registry database, from your Local Authority and also from the Water and Drainage Company that covers your area. In addition, we compile the Sale Statement and Index on your behalf. Once we have received all the documents, we assemble them into the Home Information Pack.
What is the advantage of buying my Home Information Pack from homeinformationpackcambridge.co.uk?
By buying your HIP directly from us you are secure in the knowledge that the HIP belongs to you. It is completely portable and should you decide to change Estate Agents you do not need to buy a new HIP.
Why is it cheaper to buy a HIP from you rather than ask my Estate Agent to arrange it?
Many Estate Agents will take a commission from the Home Information Pack provider when they introduce you to them. These companies need to build that commission, which can be over £100, into their prices.
By buying directly from us, we can therefore pass on the cost savings that we achieve by being independent and also the saving that we make in not having to pay commission to an Estate Agent.
If I buy a HIP from you, is it any different to one that my Estate Agent can arrange?
Only in price! A Home Information Pack for your property should contain exactly the same information, regardless of who provides it.
But one Estate Agent implied that I could only use their HIP?
The Government has stated:
"Any Estate Agent has a duty to ensure that they are complying with HIP duties. There is no reason why an Agent cannot rely on a HIP provided by the House Seller, a different Estate Agent or a HIP Provider other than the one they would normally use, as long as they are content that it is compliant. Further information can be found on the website: http://www.homeinformationpacks.gov.uk".
Some Estate Agents may try and offer their own in-house HIP, or they will often have a financial agreement with a national HIP Provider to offer theirs, but any HIP that meets the regulations is perfectly legal and acceptable.
My Estate Agent has offered me a free HIP!
These offers are rarely, if ever, what they pretend to be!
The HIP has to be paid for at some stage - it consists of a variety of documents that have to be bought from the Land Registry, Local Authority etc, as well as an Energy Survey that is performed by a qualified energy surveyor who needs to earn a living! An Estate Agent offering a 'free' HIP will usually recoup the cost (and often more) by increasing his sales commission. An extra ¼% sales commission on a £200,000 house means an additional £500 on the Agents fee - considerably in excess of the cost of a HIP from homeinformationpackcambridge.co.uk.
In addition, Agents will often only provide a 'free' HIP on condition that you agree to keep the house with them for a certain period of time. Many will then charge you for the HIP if you want to change Agents anyway. A HIP from us means that you can change Agents whenever you wish, safe in the knowledge that they cannot tie you in for any period of time. Remember, your HIP is completely portable between Estate Agents.
Why does a HIP for a Leasehold property cost more than one for a Freehold property?
For a HIP for a leasehold property to be fully compliant, it should contain a copy of the lease. This is generally obtainable from the Land Registry at an extra charge. We therefore have to reflect this additional cost in our fees. Some HIP Providers will place the onus upon you or your Solicitor to provide the lease and do not therefore include it within their fees. A Solicitor will generally charge rather more for this service and you should be aware that the HIP is NOT compliant without the lease. Your Solicitor will need to provide it at some stage during the conveyancing process anyway, so it is far better to obtain it at the start, include it in the HIP and save the higher cost that the Solicitor will charge later on. Of course, you can also therefore be sure that your HIP is completely compliant and legal from Day One.
How do I check whether my house is Freehold or Leasehold?
The simple way is to visit www.landregisteronline.gov.uk and enter your postcode and house number. Most properties are registered at The Land Registry and the site will reveal whether the tenure is Freehold only or whether there is a Freehold and a Leasehold title. If there is a Leasehold title, we need to include this in the Home Information Pack, so please be sure to select the Leasehold option when completing your Order Form.
What is the ordering process for a Home Information Pack from homeinformationpackcambridge.co.uk.
You can order a HIP either by emailing us your details. We accept payment by credit or debit card through our secure payment portal by Google. Alternatively you can telephone us on 07973 523398 and we will assist you with your order
What happens next?
As soon as we receive your order, we send you an e-mail confirming that you have commissioned a Home Information Pack for your property. You can print this off, or forward it to your Estate Agent, as evidence that a HIP has been ordered. They are then legally able to start marketing the property.
We begin to assemble the documents required within the HIP immediately and one of our Domestic Energy Assessors will contact you within 48 hours to arrange a mutually convenient time to visit to perform the Energy Survey.
Once we have received back all the necessary documents and searches to be included within the Home Information Pack, we amalgamate them into a single document and e-mail this to you. This is generally within 10 working days of receiving your initial instruction. Occasionally, this can take a few days longer, depending upon how quickly your particular Local Authority responds to search requests.
At this point we suggest that you forward a copy of the HIP to your Estate Agents and also to your Solicitor, if you have already appointed one to handle the sale.
Is that all there is to it?
Yes - that's it. Remember, if at any stage you have a query, simply drop us an e-mail, or call us on 07973 523398, and we will be very happy to help. We realise that the Home Information Pack Regulations, being newly introduced, are still something of a mystery to many people. We can help you through the process.
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