Home Information Packs Our HIP's Expect More One of the main reasons behind the government legislation of Home Information Packs (HIP). was to speed up the home buying process. The vast majority of HIP's supplied are "compliant" (they comply with the legislation).  Unfortunately once an offer is made the buyers solicitor is often understandably unwilling to accept the personal searches contained in the pack.  In these cases the solicitor will recommend that an "authorised" search is carried out before contracts can be exchanged.  Thus delaying the sale of the home and increasing the costs. The HIP Net recommend that clients purchase a Home Information Pack which includes full authorised searches.  This allows the solicitors to accept the search and speeds up the home buying process. These also have the additional advantage, in most cases  of being delivered faster than the compliant version. In most cases we are able to refresh the authorised search at a small charge should the property remain unsold for 6 months (A Refresh is an update of an Official Search previously provided by the Local Authority). What goes in a HIP? A HIP includes documents that are required when homes are bought and sold. Some documents are mandatory and others optional. The mandatory documents are: An index (ie a list of the contents of the HIP) A sale statement (summarising the terms of sale) Evidence of title Standard searches (ie local authority enquiries and a drainage and water search) An Energy Performance Certificate (EPC) Commonhold information (where appropriate) A copy of the lease (where appropriate) Documents that are optional include: A Home Condition Report (HCR) Additional leasehold, information Guarantees and warranties Other searches relevant to the particular area   Order a HIP On-line click here Note: A Home Condition Report is not a mandatory requirement. However, If you would like to know more about this please contact us. Tel: 0845 003 7606 The HIP Net Ltd, 130 Aztec, Aztec West, Bristol, BS32 4UB