Home information packs have been made compulsory for people planning to sell their homes that have more than four bedrooms after August 1, 2007, in the UK. Essentially a home information pack is a set of information that pertains to the house that is being sold. Some of the information that needs to be provided in them is compulsory.
The UK government has also made it known that home information packs, or HIPS as they are popularly called, are to be made mandatory for smaller houses. As of now, HIPS is mandatory for buildings that have four bedrooms or more. Later, HIPS is to be extended to houses with three bedrooms. As of now, marketing of a house with four bedrooms of more can be started as soon as a HIP is ordered.
Even though the government has not set a date for extending these to smaller houses, it is expected that the processes needed for extending the packs will be sped up as soon as the number of accredited energy assessors increase in the country. It is also believed that HIPS will allow greater certainty in the whole process of buying and selling of homes in the UK.
HIPs are essentially a set of information pertaining to the home that is to be sold. HIP is made up of a set of smaller number of items. It will include:
An energy performance certificate
This certificate will rate the energy efficiency of the home in a scale of A to G. The scale will determine the energy efficiency as well as carbon emissions of the home. The certificate will also indicate how the energy ratings of the home can be improved and its likely fuel costs.
Sale statement
The sale statement will include details of the sale such as who is buying the property, who is selling it and whether the property is being sold with a vacant possession.
