HIPs

Overview

As part of the Government commitment to making buying and selling homes easier, the 2004 Housing Act has introduced a legal obligation on home-owners or their selling agents to have a Home Information Pack (HIP) available when marketing homes for sale. This became a compulsory requirement for sellers of residential property in England and Wales as from 14th December 2007.

It must be made available to an interested Buyer, and a property is not able to be marketed for sale unless a HIP is available (subject to certain exceptions).

This section of the Homecheck site is designed to give you a heads-up on what is in the pack, who the main providers are and what it means to you as a buyer or seller.

Why introduce the HIP?

The government aims to reduce the number of failed house transactions every year by making information more transparent earlier on in the process and, ideally, when the house goes on the market. A HIP allows the seller to compile much of the relevant legal documentation, which will typically be provided by the estate agent to a potential buyer. By knowing all the details up front, the buyer can decide with more confidence and make a more informed choice.