Why have HIPs been introduced? The government has introduced HIPs in an attempt to speed up the home buying and selling process by providing all the necessary legal documents at the start of the process when you put your house on the market. HIPs were phased in from August 2007 and initially applied only to properties with four bedrooms or more but have now been extended to cover all residential properties.

What does a HIP contain?
The Compulsory documents that must be included in each HIP are:

• An index (i.e. a list of the contents of the Pack)
• A Property Information Questionnaire
• An Energy Performance Certificate
• A sale statement (summarising the terms of the sale)
• Evidence of title
• Standard searches (i.e. local authority enquiries and a drainage and water search)
• Where appropriate, commonhold information (including a copy of the commonhold community statement)
• Where appropriate, leasehold information (including a copy of the lease)
• Where appropriate, a New Homes Warranty or a report on a home that is not physically complete

Other authorised documents can also be included, such as a Home Condition Report, guarantees and warranties or other searches.

The following documents are also authorised for inclusion in the Pack;

• Home Condition Report (HCR)
• Home Use Form
• Home Contents Form
• Additional searches - for example environmental, mining, chancel repair liability
• Local neighbourhood information in a "Know Your Neighbour" type report
• Legal Review Report
• Warranties, guarantees and insurance policies relating to work or improvements carried out on the property
• Copies of Building Regulations and Planning Applications

Why should you choose Hips Solutions Cardiff to provide your HIP?
HIPs contain a large amount of complex, legal information and at Hips Solutions (Cardiff) we offer Conveyancing Compliant Home Information Packs. Our HIPs include both CON29R & LLC1. The important and more reliable CON29R could also speed up the selling and purchasing time over the cheaper personal searches being used in a HIP.

• Guaranteed compliant with HIP legislation
• Online preparation reduces delays and ensures the pack is prepared as quickly as possible
• Flexible, allowing inclusion of additional authorised items to assist you in marketing your property
• Conveyancing Compliant inserting a CON29R, speeding up the selling process over the cheaper personal search
• Seamlessly links into the conveyancing process
• Registered with the Data protection Act (ICO)
• Very competitively priced
• Fully Insured

We are an Independent Home Information Pack Provider covering Cardiff, Newport, Barry ,Bridgend and the surrounding areas. You can order your HIP by contacting us on 029 2091 4654 or email info@cardiff-hips.co.uk

Once an order has been placed we will send you a confirmation email so that you can market your property straight away. This email can be forwarded or printed out and given to your estate agent as proof of your HIP instruction. Our team of qualified professionals will ensure your Home Information Pack request is dealt with quickly and efficiently. An Energy Assessor will call you within 48 hours of placing your order. They will arrange a convenient time to visit your property to carry out the Energy Performance Certificate. Their visit will take approximately 45 minutes, where the assessor will need to access all parts of the property. We aim to be able to send the Energy Performance Certificate to you within 5 working days. Once all the components of the HIP have been obtained we will send you the completed Home Information Pack in Paper and electronic format. This takes on average 10 working days.

What is an EPC?
An EPC or Energy Performance Certificate provides an energy rating for a home. The rating is similar to those on kitchen appliances and is based on the performance of the building in areas like heating, lighting and insulation. It provides the buyer with an A-G rating on the property with A being the best score. The EPC is one of the required parts of a HIP and is carried out by a qualified DEA (Domestic Energy Assessor).

Of course you don't have to wait until you sell your property in order to enjoy the benefits of an energy survey. You can commission a survey at anytime and included with your energy rating will be specific recommendations for home improvements and the cost savings that would be realised. These often pay for themselves within one or two years.