Cheapest home information packs * HIPS * cheap mortgages * selling property * quick conveyancing * buying a house * cheapest home information packs * sellers energy reports

It is hoped by those in support of HIPs (Home Information Packs) that they will help speed up the procedure of buying a house and selling a property and will make for easier, quick conveyancing. Time will tell if the extra outlay will save you money so we are here to help you find the cheapest Home Information Packs, cheap mortgages and other cost saving measures.

For sellers, home information packs will hopefully mean that any unexpected surprises which might delay the sale of their house will come to light much earlier and thus mean they can be addressed prior to finding a buyer.

For house buyers, HIPs are intended to provide vital information about the property they are buying up-front and hence mean that they are better placed to make an informed decision and complete the purchase in a shorter period of time.

Home information packs can contain various documents - some of them compulsory and some of them optional.

The compulsory documents are as follows:

A home information pack index - this is a document which quite simply lists all the other documents which are included in any particular HIP.

A sale statement - this provides some key information about the property being sold, such as: the address, details of the tenure (freehold, leasehold or commonhold), whether the property is registered or unregistered, whether or not the property is being sold with vacant possession.

Standard searches - the home information pack has to contain the following searches: local authority search, local land charges search, water and drainage search.

Evidence of title - the HIP has to contain documents from the Land Registry to prove who owns the property.

Energy performance certificate - unlike the above documents which have long been part of the standard conveyancing process, the energy performance certificate is something new. It is used to give a property an energy efficiency rating on a scale of A to G, with A being the most energy efficient and G being the least energy efficient. The certificate will also give a rating for the property's impact on the environment, together with advice on how the energy efficiency of the home could be improved.

You can compile a HIP yourself, but if you get it wrong or miss out any of the compulsory documents it could delay the sale of your home. To save yourself the time and inconvenience, why not get a quote from a professional home information pack provider? Click here for more information and a no-obligation quote.