HIP FAQs
Do I need a HIP?
Most probably yes. If you are selling a property in England or Wales, with an estate agent or privately, regardless of it's age or number of bedrooms, you are legally required buy a HIP.
What actually is a HIP?
A HIP or Home Information Pack is a document containing about 50 pages. It can be printed out or kept as an electronic document. It must contain the following official documents:
- An Index of contents
- A sale statement (summarizing terms of sale)
- An Energy Performance Certificate
- Official register of title
- Official title plan
- Local authority searches
- Drainage and water searches
- A copy of the lease when leasehold property only.
Our HIPs contain all of these official documents.
What is the total price I will have to pay for a HIP or EPC.
Full HIP £199 for freehold and £230 for leasehold. EPC from £40 (subject to Quantities).
Are there any add on fees afterwards?
No. Once you have paid the above price, there is nothing more to pay, you own the HIP. Please note this is sent in PDF format free of charge.
If your preferred option is a hardcopy HIPs pack, there is an additional charge of £15.00 extra for each HIPs pack to cover postage and printing cost.
How long will the HIP take to arrive?
We provide instant order confirmation when you place your HIP order. This proves that you have ordered a HIP, and allows you or your estate agent to begin marketing your property immediately.
We send you your HIP as soon as we have visited your property and produced your Energy Performance Certificate, this normally takes less than 5 days.
Your completed HIP, including the local searches is normally ready after two weeks.
Will I own the HIP?
Yes. Most estate agents will provide HIPs on the condition that you use them as your sole agent. If you wish to find a new agent, you may need to buy a new HIP.
HIPs from Southwest Energy Assessors will be owned by you.
Will your HIPs allow me to sell my property with an estate agent?
Yes. As soon as you have placed your order, you will be sent an email confirming your order. You can show this to an estate agent who will be able to start marketing your property immediately.
Do you provide HIPs in my area?
We cover southwest in England from Bristol area down to Lands End.
Will somebody need to visit my property?
Yes one of our trained Domestic Energy Assessors will contact you shortly after you have placed your order to arrange a convenient time to visit your property. The visit will take approximately one hour and will include tasks such as measuring your property. Checking insulation, lighting / your heating system / windows / construction of your building.
Do you provide a paper copy of the HIP?
Our HIPs are sent to you in digital format as an email attachment (PDF file). This isn't as complicated as it might sound. When you receive your HIP email, you can read through it on your computer and then forward the email to your estate agent and/or prospective buyers with the click of the mouse. The government guidelines allow this and even state that if a buyer requests a hard copy, you are allowed to charge them a fee to print it and post it. In this situation you may refer them us, and we will charge the buyer £15.00 to post it to them.
HIPs contain between 50-80 pages.
Are you qualified to compile HIPs?
We are registered under the HIP Code. This is an independent regulatory board ensuring that our HIPs comply to the government guidelines.
All of our Energy Assessors are fully trained and accredited.
Do you charge extra for unregistered properties?
No we do not charge extra for compiling HIPs for unregistered properties. However we leave obtaining the "Epitome of Title" which is a required HIP document for unregistered properties, up to you and your solicitor. This is because this document can be obtained free of charge from the solicitor who carries out your sale.
How long will the HIP last?
Providing you are continually marketing your property, and you do not take it of the market, your HIP will last for as long as it takes to sell your property. If you take your property off the market and then put it back on again, you can use the same pack again providing the search documents are not older than three months, and providing the EPC is not older than one year.
Could our property fail the energy inspection?
No, you do not pass or fail the energy inspection. Your property will be assigned a grade between A-G depending on how energy efficient it is. You will also be provided with a report explaining how you could improve the energy efficiency of your home.
How do we know which HIP company to use?
There are lots of HIP providers in the market place, and like choosing any other type of company we would recommend that you pick a company that looks professional and supplies a good service at a competitive cost.
Payment in PayPal.
If you wish to pay for your HIPs pack by PayPal, there is a £5.00 service charge to be added. (Please note this is charge to us for each transaction.)
Why are your HIPs so cheap?
We only make a profit on our energy certificates not on the Search Documents. This is why our HIPs pack are so cheap.
Are your HIPs as good as the ones that cost up to and over £300 or more?
Yes our HIPs will contain exactly the same documents as any other HIP.
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