The availability of HIP to buyers

Wig

What is the true legal situation regarding the availability of HIP document to buyers?

A paper copy?
EA s in my experience are ok to email it to you, but get very edgy when you ask for a paper copy.
What is the deal for a buyer who does not have an email or access to any computer ? Can they insist on being given a paper copy of the HIP?

How soon does it have to be made available?
On the 1st day the property is put on the market?, i.e. can they say it is too early for the HIP, and it will be published in due course?

Does the HIP have to be in the EA office?
After a week or 2 (on market) can they say "we don't have a copy of the HIP in the branch, we have to contact the vendors for an electronic link to the HIP, and we are limited byt the vendors availabiilty to respond to our phone call/email?

princessamy86

Paper copies tend to cost a lot of money! Think about it, they are around 80 pages long and then everything is slowed down if it has to be posted out round solicitors etc. If someone cannot access by email, I ask them to come into the office and they use one of our computers to view it. Either that, or email to a friend or relative.

gemstars

A buyer can always access a computer at their local library and print it there. They'd just have to pay for the printing.

00ec25

the EA has the right to charge for a paper based copy, by being awkward they are saving you money!


see direct gov website here , I've quoted it below:
Just ask whoever is advertising the property for sale for a copy of the HIP. This is usually an estate agent, but could be another business or individual.
They must give you a copy of the HIP free of charge if you ask for it. However, they may make a reasonable charge to cover the costs of copying and posting it.
You should get your copy of the HIP within 14 days of the request being made.

Wig

I added a couple more questions to my OP. If anyone knows the answers, I'd be grateful.

Just to add I am only looking for replies in a legal context, people's opinions - whilst maybe adding a semi-debate to the thread are actually useless to me.

Thanks to 00ec25 for having the best reply so far...... is there any precedent so far on what a "reasonable charge" might be - to cover the printing/copying of the document, which after all isn't going to physically cost very much.

EDIT: curreently reading the linked page, but there may be something I have missed, or not understood properly.

princessamy86

The HIP that is compliant for marketing must be available, in the office, on the first day of the property being available on the market. This does not include searches. The first stage HIP (ie without searches) is available from day one, searches can take up to 2 weeks to come back but are usually sooner. I hope that helps.

Wig

Wig wrote: »

What is the true legal situation regarding the availability of HIP document to buyers?

A paper copy?
EA s in my experience are ok to email it to you, but get very edgy when you ask for a paper copy.
What is the deal for a buyer who does not have an email or access to any computer ? Can they insist on being given a paper copy of the HIP?

Allready answered in thread, they must provide a paper copy when asked but may make a reasonable charge for doing so, and theoretically may withold it for upto 14days. -which I think is rediculous, I mean why have a law that says it must be available on the 1st day of marketing, and then allow 14 days for it to be photocopied? - (a comment from me which I do realise, breaks my own thread guidelines for "facts and just the facts only please" - but I understand that we all can't help throwing our 2p in.

How soon does it have to be made available? On the 1st day the property is put on the market?, i.e. can they say it is too early for the HIP, and it will be published in due course?

Answer from site:
From 6 April 2009, the HIP must be available on the first day a property is marketed for sale.

Does the HIP have to be in the EA office?
can they say "we don't have a copy of the HIP in the branch, we have to contact the vendors for an electronic link to the HIP, and we are limited by the vendors availabiilty to respond to our phone call/email?

So far not found the answer to this one specifically.

princessamy86

It should be in the office and therefore available to buyers as soon as they ask. In practice, this is not quite as cut and dried as many solicitors don't automatically send them out, and some vendors are lax with providing login details etc.

Wig

Thanks Princess,

Anyone got any experience of insisting on a paper copy and either getting one free quickly, or had to pay for it....how much did you pay? Or being delayed in getting a paper copy?

princessamy86

Just checked on our HIP provider's site: £11.50 for a paper copy, plus postage and packaging. Doesn't sound too bad to me, the old provider (before they went bust) used to charge £30.

Richard_Webster

When I do a HIP I upload the individual parts of it to a special website where people can download them as PDFs. I send the link to my client and to the estate agents and I assume that if someone wants a hard copy the agents will download all the bits and print them off and make a reasonable charge for doing so, which could be around £20. Alternatively, they supply the link free by e-mail to the potential buyer or his friend.