Jump to content

Home Information Packs - ask a question

Recommended Posts

Do you know why this was taken out of the HIP? Is it because this would reduce the "jobs for the boys" element of the house buying process? i.e. fewer surveys and hence surveyors would be needed.

 

I think thats exactly why they were taken out. The vested interests were lining up to tell the media why HIPs were the spawn of the devil and nobody ever mentioned that they were doing it because they'd be doing fewer surveys and therefore getting less money.

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites
I think thats exactly why they were taken out. The vested interests were lining up to tell the media why HIPs were the spawn of the devil and nobody ever mentioned that they were doing it because they'd be doing fewer surveys and therefore getting less money.

 

The official CLG line was that there would not have been enough Home Inspectors qualified to perform the required number of surveys on June 1st. In fact, exactly the same line on DEA numbers was used by CLG to justify pushing back the introduction of HIPs to the full market on 1st June.

 

The difference between the two situations (according to CLG) was that the former was dealt with by making the Home Condition Report a voluntary document and creating my job - the Domestic Energy Assessor. The latter was dealt with by simply delaying the roll out by 2 months then phasing in the scheme.

 

Actually, chartered surveyors would not have been able to produce HCRs. They would have had to undertake additional training to produce them and would then have to compete with the new breed of surveyor - the HI. Still, RICS are doing ALL EPCs in Scotland in 2009 as part of the 'single survey' so its not all doom and gloom for them :)

 

Who knows what went on behind the scenes, I doubt we'll ever know but HIPs are here now in their present form but it will evolve.

 

HCRs are being done to some extent on a voluntary basis but take up has been minimal I understand.

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

Regarding the HCR, yes - many feel it would better serve the public to have one independent report available to all prospective buyers rather than each buyer commissioning their own report. Currently the situation is profitable for RICS but a waste of money for the rest of us.

 

We've still got the idea with the rest of it though. The EPC is available to all buyers at no cost (if the HIP is online) and while for many buyers a HCR would contain more pressing information than just the EPC on its own (the HCR contains an EPC) the option is still there and the market will respond if demand is sufficient as with all things.

 

Early estimates on the impact of the EPC on the rental market when it comes in in October 2008 are positive. Its a great idea IMO that tenants have the information to make an informed choice about the property they may rent. If anyone hasn't seen an example of an EPC yet give it a look - follow the link I put on an above post to the HIPVIEW site for an example.

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

As we're coming up to the new year now I just want to make it REALLY clear that if you currently have a house on the market without a HIP (as in it was put on before the introduction date) you won't need to get one in order to keep marketing the property past the new year.

 

If your estate agent or anyone else tells you otherwise, they're wrong. This date did have significance before but it is now meaningless.

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

I'm interested in eco-renovation and am trying to get information on the best types of house to look into and the most energy efficient building materials etc. How energy efficient can you make the average victorian terrace? What are the best options for achieving high energy efficiency? Can it make a significant difference to the price of the house?

Personally I think we should all make our houses as energy efficient as possible for ethical reasons but I was wondering what the realistic cash benefits are for renovation and selling on?

I'm trying to persuade my partner who is sceptical, that eco-renovation is worthwhile!

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

would you ask to see hips before you bought a home?

would it put you off buying a home?

no

just another rip off for the home owner yet again,

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

I'm not talking about HIPs (I don't know enough about them to comment yet), its the energy efficiency that I'm interested in, I don't know whether a low energy efficiency rating would stop me buying a house at the moment but with rising fuel prices its certainly becoming more of an issue for a lot of people (and thats without any ethical reasoning).

I do agree wholeheartedly that house buying/selling is a total nightmare though! Perhaps we need a cultural shift back towards people putting down roots and moving less often. We could all save a lot of money and heartache!

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites
would you ask to see hips before you bought a home?

would it put you off buying a home?

no

just another rip off for the home owner yet again,

 

All due respect but you've completely misunderstood how HIPs are used. Contrary to what the Government tells you HIPs are a solicitors information pack. The only document of use to the buyer is the energy report and perhaps some of the optional documents that only quality providers include e.g. home use and contents forms.

 

Buyers don't ask to see the HIP because its basically everything solicitors were using before but instead of them ordering at the end its ordered at the start and paid for by the Vendor. Try telling your buyer to ask for a discount on their conveyancing because the seller is paying for their disbursements (seriously!)

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites
I'm interested in eco-renovation and am trying to get information on the best types of house to look into and the most energy efficient building materials etc. How energy efficient can you make the average victorian terrace? What are the best options for achieving high energy efficiency? Can it make a significant difference to the price of the house?

Personally I think we should all make our houses as energy efficient as possible for ethical reasons but I was wondering what the realistic cash benefits are for renovation and selling on?

I'm trying to persuade my partner who is sceptical, that eco-renovation is worthwhile!

 

You can use any energy report in a HIP to compare any house for sale in the country with any other. Energy Performance Certificates are directly comparable. The information is available for free to the buyer so just ask to see it - most HIPs are available online now too so you won't have to wait for the info.

 

You can make your average victorian property very energy efficient. Precisely how would depend on the property e.g. if you have damp problems in the loft that would need to be remedied before an energy assessor could recommend 250mm loft insulation. Also, it can be expensive to improve a property of this type as there are no grants available for solid wall insulation/dry lining as there are for cavity wall insulation. I'm assuming the property has solid walls (cavity walls have been around since before the turn of the century).

 

Is it worth it to improve the house before selling? Depends on the improvement I'd say - the EPC breaks down each recommendation by cost saving so if cavity wall insulation will save £350 over a year and fitting double glazing would save £70 you know where your priorities are.

 

Again, I can't go into detail about what you can do without inspecting the property really! If you are thinking of putting your property on the market in less than a year you could order an EPC now (it can be up to a year old by the time it goes in the pack). This would give you the advice you need and still enable you to include it in your HIP.

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

Quick question

 

I who have sold the house, the buyer who now lives in the house have not ever seen the report, i am now being chased for the money,, who should have seen the report and where will it be now, the house was sold in Jan.

 

Thanks

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites
Quick question

 

I who have sold the house, the buyer who now lives in the house have not ever seen the report, i am now being chased for the money,, who should have seen the report and where will it be now, the house was sold in Jan.

 

Thanks

 

It entirely depends! Your first port of call should be your buyers solicitor. they are the user of the pack and therefore are likely to still have it. Some buyers solicitors send the packs to the buyer when they've done the conveyancing but if the buyer is chasing you then this is unlikely. Many packs are also available online - does your pack provider do this? If so find out what portal they use and search on the portal e.g. http://www.hipview.co.uk or http://www.hipfolio.co.uk

 

If you commissioned the pack call the pack provider and ask them where they sent the hard copy if applicable.

 

If your estate agent was paranoid about passing out the HIP for fear of losing you as a client to a rival agent they may well still have the HIP in their office.

 

In short try:

the estate agent

the pack provider

your conveyancer

your buyers conveyancer

(possibly also) the buyer's mortgage lender but this is unlikely.

 

Good luck on your HIP hunt!

 

As a last resort look on the 'EPC Graphs which the estate agent should have included on the sales particulars (by law). At the top of the graphs should be a 16 digit number. Take this 16 digit number and copy it into this webpage: https://www.hcrregister.com/ReportRetrieve which should yield the Energy Performance Certificate.

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites
If your estate agent was paranoid about passing out the HIP for fear of losing you as a client to a rival agent they may well still have the HIP in their office.

 

Really!! Surely if you paid for the pack, then it's yours to do with as you wish..

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

Create an account or sign in to comment

You need to be a member in order to leave a comment

Create an account

Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!

Register a new account

Sign in

Already have an account? Sign in here.

Sign In Now
×
×
  • Create New...

Important Information

We have placed cookies on your device to help make this website better. You can adjust your cookie settings, otherwise we'll assume you're okay to continue.