Conveyancing - Hips

The sellers (or their estate agent) must provide a home information pack (HIP) when they put their home on the market.  The HIP will contain a number of legal documents and other documents about the home. 

These include documents that give details about who owns the home and a plan that shows the boundaries between the owner’s home and their neighbours’ homes.

The HIP includes details of the ‘leasehold’ if there is one (if you buy a leasehold home you only own it for a fixed length of time – usually 99 or 125 years).  It will also include local searches and drainage searches which give information on local land charges (payments you might have to make to local authorities or the Government), planning decisions and proposals for building new roads.

However, what is included in a HIP depends on the home.  For example, not all homes will have a leasehold document.  We shall be able to give you more advice.

If a home was already on the market before HIPs were needed, the sellers may not be required to provide a HIP.  We can give you advice about this subject.