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The Home Information Pack (also known as the HIP) is compulsory for all homes on the market in England and Wales. It is a set of documents that provides the buyer with key information on the property and must be provided by the seller or the seller's agent.

Why do you need a HIP?

It is a legal requirement to have a HIP and you can't market your property without one. The HIP lets buyers see important information on the property at the start of the process, free of charge.

This means there is less chance of buyers becoming aware of any surprises at the end of the process that can cause delays and extra expense to the buyer and seller.

What does a HIP contain?

The HIP is made up of required (compulsory) and authorised (optional) items.

There shouldn't be any marketing or advertising material in the pack, so make sure it contains official information only.

Listed below are all the compulsory documents that need to be included.

Compulsory documents

The following documents must be included in your HIP:

Freehold properties

• Home Information Pack Index
• Energy Performance Certificate (EPC)
• Sustainability information (required for newly built homes only)
• Sale statement
• Evidence of title
• Standard searches (local authority and drainage and water)
• Property Information Questionnaire

Leasehold properties

• All the compulsory documents above, plus
• A copy of the lease

Optional documents

Other documents can be included within your HIP but these are optional. If they are included it could help to speed up the sale and ensure that the process goes more smoothly.

Optional documents include:

• Home condition report
• Legal summary
• Home use / contents form
• Other documents such as specialised search reports (for example, the seller may choose to include a mining search in a mining area)

Buyers

If you are buying a property, just ask whoever is advertising it for sale for the Home Information Pack. This is usually an estate agent, but could be another business or individual.

They must give you a copy of the pack free of charge (although they may make a reasonable charge to cover the costs of copying and posting it).

Sellers

The person responsible for marketing a property (in most cases, the estate agent) must have commissioned a HIP by the time that the property is on the market.

Who compiles the HIP?

You can compile it yourself or you can hire an estate agent, solicitor or HIP provider to do it for you. Always make sure that your HIP provider is signed up to a code of practice, such as the HIP code.

HIP documents are available to download from www.communities.gov.uk and www.direct.gov.uk.

For more information on Home Information Packs please visit www.homeinformationpack.gov.uk.