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Commissioning a HIP

The Energy Performance Certificate is sometimes confused with the whole Home Information Pack, as these are both new names. In fact the EPC is 6 pages within a 50+ page HIP.

The EPC can only be supplied by an accredited Domestic Energy Assessor (DEA).

The contents which are obligatory in a Home Information Pack are: Index, Property Information Questionnaire, EPC, Sale Statement, HMLR Office Copy Register, HMLR Title Plan, Local Authority Search, Official Drainage and Water Search. All of these are compiled into the HIP. (If the property is Leasehold a Copy of the Lease is required, and for an Unregistered property, an Epitome of Title needs to be included. There are optional authorised documents which can be included as well, and if you or your solicitor can supply these, they will be added free of charge.)

The simplest approach is to make a call and let Homecertify do the rest (01458 441543).

You can commission a HIP from Homecertify and use it in conjunction with any estate agent or solicitor. Indeed, commissioning your own HIP means you are not tied to any particular agent, you are in control, and you will be able to actually see your own HIP - it is surprising how many people are not offered access to the HIP which they are paying for.

You are not obliged to follow an estate agent's recommendation when ordering your HIP, in fact, estate agents should be happy for you to make your own arrangements - the Government guidance on this issue states that homeowners may even produce their HIP themselves if they so desire.

Homecertify HIPs have been used successfully with all the local Estate Agents and have attracted praise from Solicitors.

For payment, normal practise is to take a cheque at the time of ordering, but not encash it until the HIP is completed and delivered.

THE GAINS

You keep the business local, instead of paying more to satisfy the large number of middlemen in the chain between you and the finished HIP.
The new first-day marketing rules make a local solution the best one - the HIP essentials can be ready within 24 hours of ordering the HIP.
You get the HIP completed as quickly as humanly possible - the local authority search is usually the slowest to arrive (perhaps 10 days).
You know who is responsible for the HIP and who will be visiting your house to conduct the Energy Assessment.
Homecertify will keep your Estate Agent informed on your behalf.
Homecertify Ltd was the first independent HIP supplier in the area and has the most experience - covering all types of property with all local Estate Agents.
There is no hidden clause or tie-in to any other product, leaving you free to select any Estate Agent, Solicitor or Conveyancer. Your details will not be shared or sold on.

THE PRODUCT

Your HIP will be produced online. It will be given an 8-digit PIN number and it can be viewed at any time, even before it is completed, seeing each document from the moment it arrives. You can therefore watch its progress. If any document appears to be holding up its completion, it will be chased up. You can give its web address and PIN number to anyone you wish, and they can also view your HIP by clicking on the box below or at the top of the Home Page. This is how it is made available to estate agents and solicitors, as well as prospective buyers. You can of course download it, put it on a CD or print it out. There is also a colour, bound hard copy available, which would come by mail a couple of days after the HIP is complete. A CD copy of the HIP is also available, free of charge.

THE PRICE

For homeowners within Somerset, the complete Home Information Pack will cost £269.

There are extras to be aware of, but they don't affect everybody:-

Leasehold properties "sometimes" require £33 extra*

Unregistered properties "sometimes" require £50 extra*

Colour printed, hard bound copy NO extra charge (see news page for reason)

There is no VAT on any of these prices.

(*please note we have done many of these without needing these extra charges)

ORDER A HIP

Couldn't be easier. Either send an email by clicking here: email Chris at Homecertify

Or telephone 01458 441543 (please leave a message if prompted)