From 6th April 2009 important changes were made to the government’s Home Information Packs (HIPs).

It is now a legal requirement that a HIP must be available for a property before it is marketed for sale, which does away with the temporary marketing concession that allowed a vendor to market the property pending the HIP becoming available.

A HIP must also now contain a Property Information Questionnaire. This is a form completed by the vendor which provides simple information that may be of use to a potential purchaser, including council tax bands, a list of the utilities benefitting the property, parking arrangements and basic leasehold information where applicable.

Finally, the HIP must contain complete searches, including a local authority search, with no gaps in the data being covered by insurance. The searches can be produced direct by the local authority serving the property or through a personal search company but they must be comprehensive in the information they provide.

If you have any questions regarding the recent changes to the Home Information Packs, or if you would like further information about Evans and Jones’ Home Information Pack service please call 02920 020909 today.