Useful Information for Do It Yourself Home Information Packs
Home Information Packs (HIPS)
From 14 December 2007 all houses put up for sale must have by law a Home Information Pack.
Home Information Pack Contents
Home Information Packs will provide important information to prospective purchasers at the very start of their interest in a new home, giving increased transparency on key issues and meaning any offer to purchase is based on an informed decision.
A Home Information Pack will contain:-
- Home Information Pack Index
by you
- Energy Performance Certificate
produced by a Domestic Energy Assessor
- Sale statement
by you
- around £100.00
- Standard Local Authority searches
produced by specialist company for as little as £70.00
- A drainage and water search from local water company for as little as £44.00
- Evidence of title (from Land Registry Office) for £12.00.
Do Your Own Home Information Pack - and Halve The Cost!
Home information packs became law for all domestic properties on 14 December 2007, but there is no obligation on sellers to buy a pack from an estate agent or a solicitor. You can produce your own and save hundreds of pounds.
The law says that the person marketing a property, be it an estate agent or the owner, must have a copy of the pack in their possession while the property is on the market, and must give a copy to potential buyers within 14 days of a request.
ENERGY PERFORMANCE CERTIFICATE
The main unavoidable cost is the energy performance certificate, which must be carried out by a qualified inspector and will cost at least £100.
EVIDENCE OF TITLE
The Land Registry (landregistry.gov.uk) will supply evidence of title for £6 and the title plan, again £6. After that, costs vary according to each local authority.
LOCAL AUTHORITY SEARCHES
The Department of Communities and Local Government says the searches that the pack must include are the local land charges register (form LLC1) and the answers to "local enquiries". This looks superficially cheap - often just £10-£15. But the sting is form con29, which the local authority will compile for you at a cost of £150 or more. Some councils in London charge as much as £288.
One way around this is to employ a specialist company to carry out the work. There are several of these available over the internet, with prices starting at around £70.
The option of doing it entirely by yourself at the council offices appears to have been barred by the Department of Communities and Local Government (DCLG). It says: "People can put 'personal searches' in the Home Information Pack, provided that the searches and the people providing them comply with the regulations. Personal searches are carried out by specialist companies who do this work and not by the seller himself."
DRAINAGE AND WATER SEARCH
A drainage and water search is also required. Contact your local water company for costs. As an example, Thames Water charges £44.18 for a residential search, delivered within three days.
Altogether, a DIY pack is therefore going to cost at least £226 - half as much as a commercially-produced Hip. 
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