Home Information Packs changes
Published: 05:42PM BST 22 Mar 2010
This is a reminder of the HIP requirements for a new home.
A 'new home' is defined as a property being designed, a property being constructed, or a property that has been constructed but never occupied.
A HIP must be available when a new home is first marketed, while for new homes marketed from 6 April 2009 the HIP must include the following documents:
- a HIP index
- a new home Property Information Questionnaire
- an Energy Performance Certificate (EPC) (no more than three years old) or a Predicted Energy Assessment (PEA) if the new home is not physically completed
- a sustainability certificate or interim certificate if the new home is not physically completed or a nil rated certificate (this requirement only applies to new homes in England, not in Wales)
- a sale statement
- evidence of title (official copies no more than three months old)
- commonhold documents if applicable (official copies no more than three months old)
- an official copy or true copy of the lease if the new home is leasehold (official copy no more than three months old) or the edited form held by the Land Registry if, despite reasonable efforts, that is all that can be obtained
- local authority search (no more than three months old)
- drainage and water search (no more than three months old)
- if certain conditions are met, a new home can still be put on the market even if these documents are not yet available, but they must be added to the HIP as soon as they are available and within 28 days of the start of marketing. Also, in the case of the energy documents, where the new home is still on the market at the point it becomes physically complete, a full EPC must be added to the HIP within 14 days [of when it is completed] and the PEA removed.
If a new home is still on the market at the point it becomes physically complete, the HIP must be updated to replace the interim sustainability certificate with a sustainability certificate if an assessment under the Code for Sustainable Homes has taken place, or a nil-rated certificate if not.
The sustainability certificate must be included within 21 days of the date of the post-construction assessment and the nil-rated certificate within the seven day period following the end of construction.
The HIP regulations also prescribe further documents that can be included in a HIP, but which are not compulsory.
The Department for Communities and Local Government has published an updated comprehensive guide (132 pages) on the amended 2007 HIP regulations. It can be accessed using the following link: http://www.communities.gov.uk/documents/housing/pdf/hipregsguidance.pdf
