Home Information Packs have been suspended

HIPs are history - Pickles suspends Home Information Packs with immediate effect.

Homes marketed for sale on or after 21 May 2010 will no longer require a Home Information Pack (HIP).

The Energy Performance Certificate (EPC) will be retained. Sellers will still be required to commission, but won't need to have received an EPC before marketing their property.

In order to ensure that people selling their homes continue to make an Energy Performance Certificate available to prospective buyers, we have also laid before Parliament the Energy Performance of Buildings (Certificates and Inspections) (England and Wales) (Amendment) Regulations 2010 which introduce a number of new requirements including:

A new duty on the seller to secure that an energy performance certificate (EPC) has been commissioned before marketing of the property commences where no such certificate is already available.

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 new duty on the person acting on behalf of the seller to be satisfied that an EPC has been commissioned before commencing marketing.

A new 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 new duties carry fixed penalties where somebody fails in the duty conferred on them by the new regulations

source: Communities and Government 20-5-2010



You can find more information on the Suspension of Home Information Packs : Questions and Answers page.

Contact us
Home Buying and Selling Unit
Communities and Local Government
5th Floor
Eland House
Bressenden Place
London
SW1E 5DU

Telephone: 030 3444 0000
email: contactus@communities.gsi.gov.uk

Further Information on HIPS