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something_else

Hi,

I am currently looking to put my house on the market in the Liverpool area and our next step is sorting out a HIP.

We have spoken with a number of estate agents and it seems that you can get a HIP for prices varying from £150-£400 + VAT.

I was wondering if anyone had any recommendations or ones to avoid like the plague. Would love answers as soon as possible as we would like to get the process started yesterday

Many thanks

Richard_Webster

Is the house freehold or leasehold?

If it is leasehold or
you do not have a registered title or
you have bought/sold bits of land from/to neighbours etc

then

definitely get your solicitor/conveyancer to do it for you.

something_else

Its freehold, but what does the registered title mean?

Cheers

scooter_chick

I got mine from HIPS4U - they're an online firm. I just googled for 'cheap hips', and needed someone who would send the EPC chap round at a weekend so I didn't have to take time off work. The pack I got looks professional and was completed promptly (ready for marketing in a few days as far as I recall). I'd recommend them, but I honestly just pretty much picked them at random & by price.

I think the general advice is to be wary of getting yours from your EA - in some cases there's a significant mark-up & it can also cause complications if you want to switch agents.

Richard_Webster

Its freehold, but what does the registered title mean?

Cheers

Most houses in England/Wales are registered and wil have their own Land Registry title number - you can check by going to http://www.landregistry.gov.uk. and search for your address.

If you bought (not inherited) a house in England/Wales at any time after the end of 1990 it must have a registered title. I don't know the critical date specifically for Liverpool but it is probably some time in the 1960s/70s. So it will only be unregistered if you bought it before the critical date or its been in the family for years and passed down to you.

pie81

I also used hips4u. found them pretty quick (though I did pay an extra £20 for the express service) and not too expensive. if you call them before you order they will tell you how long it is likely to take.

delmar39

We used our Solicitor they charged £200, which was cheaper than Hips4u at the time (October 2009). I would advise against going through your EA as it'll be expensive compared to other options and for exactly the same thing that you can get cheaper elsewhere.