<!DOCTYPE HTML PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD HTML 4.01 Transitional//EN"> <html> <head> <title>North West Solicitors Association - 0845 124 9857 - What is a hip?</title> <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=iso-8859-1"/> <meta name="keywords" content="What is a hip? Page, North West Solicitors Association, 0845 1249857, Conveyancing, HIPs, What is a HIP?, Trusted HIP Provider, NWSA Members, Trusted, Reliable, Client Care, Buyers, Sellers" /> </head> <body link="#66CC33" vlink="#66CC33" alink="#009900" topmargin="0"> <table width="801" border="0" align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" bgcolor="#FFFFFF"> <tr> <td style="background-image:url(back_images/gradbarleft.gif);background-repeat:repeat-y;width:19px;height:100%"><img src="back_images/gradbarleft.gif" width="19" height="600"></td> <td width="763" valign="top"> <table width="763" height="188" border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0"> <tr> <td style="background-color:#0A3442;text-align:right;padding:2px 10px 2px 0px;font-family:Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;font-size:10pt;font-weight:bold;color:white;" colspan="4"> Call us now on 0845 124 9857 </td> </tr> <tr> <td> <table width="763" border="0" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0"> <tr> <td width="443" valign="bottom" style="background-image:url('header_background.jpg');background-repeat:no-repeat;"><table width="100%" border="0" cellpadding="12" cellspacing="12"> <tr> <td valign="top"><font color="#FFFFFF" size="2" face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif"><strong>What is a Home Information Pack (HIP)?</strong></font></td> </tr> </table></td> <td><table width="100%" height="252" border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0"> <tr> <td width="29"><img src="back_images/blue_arrow.gif" width="29" height="26"></td> <td height="26" style="background-image:url('back_images/navigation_breaker.gif');background-repeat:no-repeat;"><font size="2" face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif"><a href="Conveyancing.html">Conveyancing</a></font></td> </tr> <tr> <td width="29"><img src="back_images/blue_arrow.gif" width="29" height="26"></td> <td height="26" style="background-image:url('back_images/navigation_breaker.gif');background-repeat:no-repeat;"><font size="2" face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif"><a 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height="18"><a href="contactus.html"><img src="back_images/contactus.gif" width="15" height="11" border="0"></a></td> </tr> </table></td> </tr> </table> </td></tr> <tr> <td><table width="763" border="0" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0"> <tr> <td height="100" valign="top"><table width="763" border="0" cellpadding="12" cellspacing="12"> <tr> <td width="220" align="left" valign="top"> <table width="100%" border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0"> <tr> <td align="left"> <font color="#333333" size="2" face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif"> <h4 style="color:#003366;"> "Choosing an NWSA member to deal with your purchase and sale will ensure that you choose an experienced conveyancing law firm" </h4> <h4 style="color:#003366;"> "The ethos of member firms is to co-operate with each other, local estate agents and other property professionals to ensure that your transaction runs as smoothly as possible" <br /><br /> "Because of the agreed procedures and protocols in place between member firms the more member firms involved in a chain of transactions the better for everyone" </h4> </font> </td> </tr> </table> <img src="images/ssa_logo.gif" width="59" height="51"> <font color="#0099CC" size="2" face="Times New Roman, Times, serif"><strong><br/> North West Solicitors Association</strong></font><font color="#003366" size="2" face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif"><strong></strong></font></td> <td width="459" align="left" valign="top"> <h3 style="font-family:Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;color:#003366;"> What is a HIP? </h3> <font size="2" face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif"> <p> It is now compulsory for the seller of a property to order a Home Information Pack (HIP) before the property is put on the market. This not only applies to properties marketed through an Estate Agent, but also for any property being marketed privately. </p> <p> The HIP is a legal document containing essential information about the property's title as well as information about the energy efficiency of the property. </p> <p> The Regulations state that if a property was 'genuinely' being marketed before the commencement date for that type of property, the seller will not be required to provide a HIP to potential buyers. The commencement dates are 1st August 2007 for properties with four bedrooms or more, 10th September 2007 for properties with three bedrooms or more and 14th December for all one and two bedroom properties. </p> <p> <b>The required contents of the HIP are:</b> <ul> <li> Evidence of the Legal Title. </li> <li> Local Authority and Drainage Searches. </li> <li> An Index and a Sale Statement. </li> <li> If the property is Leasehold, other key documents, including copy Lease, Service Charge Accounts, Ground Rent receipt etc. </li> <li> Any NHBC documents if the property being sold is less than 10 years old. </li> <li> An Energy Performance Certificate (EPC) which will guide buyers as to the home s energy efficiency rating. </li> </ul> </p> <p> In addition to '<b>required</b>' documents '<b>authorised</b>' documents can be placed within a pack providing additional information to the buyer. </p> <p> Some other  authorised documents can be added such as: Home Condition Report, copy of any Planning Permissions and Building Regulation Approval Guarantees. </p> <p> A Home Condition Report is a report prepared by a registered Home Inspector who can provide details of the condition of the property being sold to both buyer and seller which would help reduce the chance of a sale falling through if a necessary repair or other defect comes to light part way through the process. </p> <p> It would also give a seller the opportunity to carry out any repairs which might put off a prospective buyer or give a seller a reason to seek a reduction in price. </p> <p> These reports are <b>not</b> compulsory. </p> <!--<p> The likely timescale for preparation of a HIP is approximately 10-14 days for a registered title. However it is hoped that some HIPs will be available within 5 working days or so. </p>--> </font> </td></tr> </table></td> </tr> </table> </td> </tr> </table></td> <td style="background-image:url(back_images/gradbarright.gif);background-repeat:repeat-y;width:19px;height:100%"><img src="back_images/gradbarright.gif" width="19" height="600"></td> </tr> </table> </body> </html>