About HIPs

Wheezy_2

There's a couple of threads around cheering the abolition of HIPs, but from personal experience, I found them quite useful?
We were FTB last August and we would make a point of seeing the HIP for each property we looked at.
Plenty of useful info in there IMO:

- EPC
- Land Registry copy
- Title info
- Planning & Building regulations
- Drainage and water search
- Copy of deed + plan refered to
- Chancel info
- Planning permission and applications in the area
- Environmental info
.... etc...

Anyone else around here found them quite useful?
I sure can understand that from a seller's perspective less paperwork and costs are a plus. But (and excuse me if it's a silly question...) where is a potential buyer supposed to get this info now?

Pennywise

But what about things that have changed since the HIP was written?

New planning approvals may have been made etc that you wouldn't know about.

It's duplication because your solicitor would do it all again when it came to conveyances stages to cover themselves in case the HIP surveyor got it wrong or things changed over time.

I just sold a house in January. It was first put on the market two years before when the HIP was written. Over that time, we'd completely refurbished it - knocked down internal walls, built an extension, replaced all windows and doors, new kitchen & bathroom, new central heating system, etc. Neighbours had also built a massive extension (with or without planning permission I don't know), planning permission had been granted for a new by-pass road a few streets away which would have a massive impact on local roads. The original HIP was so out of date it was useless - according to the estate agents, no-one had ever asked to see it. It was a complete waste of money for us - just a box-ticking exercise that cost us a few hundred pounds for no benefit.

Like a lot of things, the idea is good but the practicalities make it unworkable.

lostinrates

The property we are tyring to buy is HIP exempt, but some of the HIP thingies were done. Where surveys etc were done they have been unacceptable to our potential lender, and that the vendor expects things to move at the pace having these things in place should bring and has imposed a very tight deadline actually is putting our purchase in jeopardy.

Wheezy_2

Pennywise wrote: »

It's duplication because your solicitor would do it all again when it came to conveyances stages

Yes of course. But by then - as a buyer - I will have incurred solicitors' cost. Which could have been avoided if I had seen stuff in the HIP I didn't really like.
Not defending the HIP process here as it was, I'm sure it had its flaws.
I just like the idea of providing the buyer as much info as possible before entering into the whole offer/conveyancing/survey process.

Thanks.

John_Pierpoint

I always have done something similar to a HIP for potential purchasers - I think they appreciated it and in at least one case (immigrant buyer) it probably tipped the balance in my favour.

When purchasing I check out whole areas for flooding, planning, noise, pollution etc (see thread on here somewhere) then when I find a potential purchase I sit at my computer and spend a tenner or so checking out the Land Registry etc. before even viewing it.
I like to think I know enough about buildings to inspect the drains, spot the broken backed building, check out the insulation and the heating etc. etc.
I've also found remotely HIPS that were simply wrong: "Gas central heating" (out of a bottle maybe, because there was no mains gas in the street)
There is no substitute for chatting up the "neighbours".