Home Information Packs (HIPS) - SUSPENDED

We can now confirm that Sellers and Estate Agents are no longer required to have or to provide copies of HIPS with effect from 21 May 2010.  

In order to ensure that people selling their homes continue to make an Energy Performance Certificate (EPC) available to prospective buyers, new regulations introduce a number of requirements including:-

• a duty on the seller to secure that an EPC has been commissioned before marketing of the property commences
• an EPC has been commissioned when a Domestic Energy Assessor has been instructed to prepare the EPC and the EPC has either been paid for or has given a clear undertaking to pay for it
• a duty on the person acting on behalf of the seller to be satisfied that an EPC has been commissioned before commencing marketing
• a duty on both the seller and a person acting on their behalf to make reasonable efforts to secure an EPC within 28 days
• all of the duties carry fixed penalties where somebody fails in the duty conferred on them by the regulations