Home Information Packs - HIPs
It is now a legal requirement that most residential properties require a Home Information
Pack ("HIP") to enable marketing to commence.
Why Choose a Chattertons’ HIP
- Chattertons offers you an innovative approach to buying a HIP.
- Our exchange-ready HIPs are prepared by in-house experienced and trained conveyancing
executives and solicitors.
- Independent portable HIPs which give you the flexibility to move estate agents.
- Compulsory parts of the HIP obtained quickly for you, including the Energy Performance
Certificate where we have a selective list of trustworthy qualified domestic energy
assessors who are able to attend at various time of the day to suit you.
- Our HIPs include an official local authority search obtained directly from the relevant
local authority. This search will be accepted by all potential buyers and mortgage
lenders, whereas most HIP providers supply local authority searches from personal
search companies, which you cannot guarantee will be accepted by buyers or their
lenders.
- Trained conveyancing executives and solicitors looking at your HIP to assess any
potential stumbling blocks on sale and address them pre-offer to try and help you
get an exchange-ready HIP.
- Our HIPs are extremely cost effective and will generally be less expensive than
an inferior HIP purchased through an estate agent.
- For more information on our cost effective, efficient and complete HIP, contact
your nearest Chattertons office or click on the HIP link.
Why should I be interested in having an exchange ready HIP rather than waiting for
a buyer to be found? What’s in it for me if I do?
Clients are an important asset to Chattertons.
Chattertons consider you, as our client a very important asset to our firm, whether
this is the first time we have been given the opportunity to act for you or you
are an established client coming back to us for a second or third time or you have
used us more frequently.
It is our policy, wherever possible, to be pro-active when acting for our clients
to ensure that, wherever possible, transactions proceed quickly, smoothly, and with
the minimum of fuss and disruption.
The process of buying and selling is considered among the most stressful times of
our lives.
As we all hear on a regular basis, the process of buying and selling our homes is
ranked among the most stressful situations we are likely to encounter in our lives
– ranking among divorce and death - yet we put ourselves through the buying and
selling process quite willingly and, for some, on a regular basis. HIPS were designed
to speed up the buying and selling process but are they actually working in practice?
One way in which the stress and strain of the selling process can be substantially
reduced is by allowing us the opportunity to prepare the HIP for the property (or
if you haven’t ordered your HIP through Chattertons check through it while the property
is on the market) so that we can begin to resolve any title discrepancies that there
might be; obtain any planning decision notices or building regulation approvals;
new build warranty documentation or architects certificates where applicable; obtain
any other documents referred to on the title documentation or registers of title;
ensure that copies of any indemnity insurance policies are to hand; and many other
issues can be dealt with whilst the property is being marketed. If these issues
can be resolved now, we are in a better position to submit an “exchange ready” contract
package when a buyer is found.
Help us to help you.
You can help us to help you through the conveyancing process by being, like us,
pro-active from an early stage. Chattertons have recently been involved in several
cases where title and other difficulties have been resolved whilst a property was
still being marketed thus ensuring that the transaction proceeded much quicker and
with less stress:
Case 1 – 3 week delay averted
Title to the property was unregistered the sellers having purchased the property
prior to compulsory registration. The documentation supplied to us showed that the
owners had purchased additional land during their ownership, without being legally
represented. The purchase of the additional land was made after compulsory first
registration but was not registered. Evidence of that seller’s title was also defective
and the transaction was conducted by two sellers whereas the title was only in one
name. It took three weeks to resolve these issues and the title was perfected whilst
the property was being marketed thus saving a three week delay when a buyer was
found.
Case 2 – 5 week delay averted
Title to the property was registered at the Land Registry but further investigation
showed that part of the property was also registered to an adjacent property owner.
Following communication with the Land Registry and the adjacent property owner,
after some five weeks, the land registered twice was removed from the adjacent property
owner’s title thus saving at least a five week delay on submission of contracts.
Case 3 - 4 week delay averted
Title to the property was registered but an examination of the title plan and the
plot transfer plan showed that part of the property had been excluded from the title
plan in error. Following communication with the Land Registry, the title plan was
rectified after four weeks.
Case 4 – 6 week delay averted
Property only two years old and covered by NHBC new build warranty. Solicitors acting
for our client on their purchase had not completed the necessary NHBC offer documentation
thus no final certificates had been issued. Six weeks of communicating with the
un-co-operative previous solicitor and with NHBC resulted in the certificates being
available by the time a buyer was found. The relevant planning permissions and building
regulation approval were also obtained from the other solicitors whilst obtaining
the NHBC documentation.
Case 5 – 4 week delay averted
An estate property where the roads and drains were unadopted by the local authority
and the sewerage undertaker with Section 38 Road Agreement and Section 104 Water
Agreement in place but could not be found. We were able to obtain these and the
separate Section 106 Planning Agreements whilst the property was being marketed.
Case 6 – 8 week delay averted
The sellers had owned the property for 20 years and when they bought it they knew
that there was an extra strip of garden included in the sale but not on the original
registered title. They thought they had acquired title by “adverse possession”,
which they had, but an application still had to be made to the Land Registry to
confirm this and the Land Registry inspection and registration took several weeks
before the extra parcel of land was added to their title. This was all resolved
before a buyer was found.
What have I got to lose?
As you can see from the above examples, giving us formal instructions now can substantially
reduce or eliminate altogether delays in being able to submit a complete package
of documents to your buyers. What have you got to lose – stress, strain, and delays!
What’s in it for me?
The opportunity to be able concentrate on your new purchase without having to worry
about delays being caused by resolving difficult title issues, obtaining missing
documents or planning decision notices and building regulation consents on your
sale leading inevitably to a more relaxed and stress free transaction.
INSTRUCT US NOW so that your sale can work for you not against you.
Contact Us
For further information or advice on any conveyancing matter, please e-mail
residential.property@chattertons.com or contact a member of our Conveyancing
Team from the contact details given below;
Contact Details
Residential Conveyancing Team