Buying HIPs off estate agent then selling privately

papermoney

I have had my house up for sale with an agent for a year and now i'm going to sell my house privately to my parents. I know I have to pay the agent for the HIPs as they were doing an offer that the HIPs came free when the house sold but obviously only if they sold it. The contract says I have to buy the HIPs in the event of withdrawing the property or if I go multi agency. I have no problem buying the HIPs off them if they can still be used, but I have read that HIPs need updating every 3 months - mine were done in April 2008 and not since.
If I buy the HIPs are they going to be useful or will my parents have to pay for searches anyway?
I feel like i'm about to pay the agent £460 for some paper which is no fit for use (well not the use I want it to be used for!!)
Does anyone have any experiences?
Thanks

purplebuzz

I think that if you are selling you property to a member of your family that technically you don't need a HIP.

Can post the link ATM but if you look on the DirectGov Website, it states the circumstances under which you don't need a HIP

Also, I think that when the searches are over a certain length of time the buyer's solictors will do them again anyway.

princessamy86

Sorry, you will have to pay for the HIP. The property has been marketed, so you have to have one, regardless of who you end up selling to. The agents will have paid for the HIP on your behalf, so you will now have to pay them for the work that was carried out. Sorry to say as well, what a very expensive HIP!

Also, it is likely that your parents will need to pay for searches if they are no longer up to date.

papermoney

Thanks - I have no problem buying the HIPs - I knew I would have to, what I didn't want was to buy the HIPs and find out they are worthless which it seems they are. SO im paying for something that is completely useless.
My agent has admitted that they should be updated every 3 months but because houses are not selling they are not updating them until houses are sold.
So when I ask for mine I am going to say I want them updated i think.

princessamy86

Yeah fair enough, they might charge you again though!

Pee

Although that is expensive for a HIP, most of the charge is the payment to the local council for their search, to an environmental inspector, etc. It isn't as if the agents got them for free...

papermoney

They can try! lol

chickmug

papermoney wrote: »

They can try! lol

who do you mean "they"

papermoney

Sorry I was being tongue and cheek and the rest of my post seems to have disappeared.

I was saying they could try and charge me again. If and obviously they do have to be done again, i'd rather the solicitors did it and i'll pay them.

Our Estate Agents are rubbish, not because they can't sell the house, i know they cant force people to buy but just the way they have conducted themselves.