What is a HIP?
The Home Information Pack (HIP) was introduced by the Government to provide prospective buyers with important information about any property they are considering buying at the start of the process. The belief is that this will avoid the need for each prospective buyer to take on the effort and cost of personally finding the same information for their potential purchase.
The information in a HIP covers matters such as evidence of ownership, replies to searches and enquiries made by solicitors, as well as the energy efficiency of the property being sold, which is covered by issue of an Energy Performance Certificate. Think in terms of the labels you find on items such as refrigerators these days, but applied to questions of heating and insulation, and you will understand what the certificate is intended to provide. Domestic Energy Assessors have been trained and certified for this task and will be asked by the HIP producer to visit your property.
Essentially, HIPs move much of the initial administration in house buying away from the buyer and to the seller, aiming to cut out waste and make the selling/buying process more efficient. While much of the process of producing a HIP is straightforward, certain operations can only be carried out by those with appropriate qualifications. In principle, it is possible for the home owner to compile a HIP using input from specified experts but leaving the whole process to a specialist HIP provider is likely to be far more efficient.
Ownerpack is such a specialist, created and operated by people who have worked in the property market for many years. It draws on their experience of dealing with home owners and purchasers and aims to deliver a complete solution that will suit all parties. See The Ownerpack Story for further information.