As with all things you usually get what you pay for and also as with all things, offerings that look too good to be true usually are. 1st for HIPs's offering looks good on the surface with its 'extras' but none of the extras actually contribute anything to the usefulness of the HIP i.e. speeding up the conveyancing process and their product is oriented towards winning the business of estate agents hence the 3d walkthroughs etc.

This scottish based company has had 'mixed' reviews. Some of which can be found on this forum for energy assessors and home inspectors.

1st for HIPs do not belong to any independent regulatory, quality checking redress schemes either AHIPP's HIP Code or the superior version operated by IPPA. Use them at your own risk. I have heard a few horror stories from the energy assessors they have worked with which I cannot disclose here for legal reasons.

Touting for business are we Graham??

Now the home information pack cost comes down. You will get £179 + VAT from 1stforhips who will provide additional tools like virtual tour, ID verifier, Floor plan etc... absolutely free.

There is some sound advice here on HIPs but some of it is old.  To update you, HIPs were introduced in England and Wales only on August 1st for 4 bedroomed properties and September 10th for 3 beds.  There now NO date when properties put on the market before HIPs were introduced will need one.  It was January 1st but the date has now been dropped in light of the phased rollout of HIPs. 

Some of the prices suggested here are excessive to say the least.  Packs are available as of the date of this post for under 300 pounds including vat for a freehold property.   

If a solicitor is telling you to use them just because they offer an independent service and provide official searches but you have to pay an expensive pricetag either in the HIP itself or through associated conveyancing services I suggest looking a little further afield e.g. searching for the provider on the net is a good start!  The HIP code as mentioned is also a sign of quality. 

Do you want to choose which solicitor you use?   If you do, then getting the estate agent to arrange the HIP will often deny you that choice.

The estate agent will arrange the HIP either through a particular firm of solicitors who will generally only do the HIP if they get the conveyancing, or through a HIP Provider who will "introduce" you to one of their panel solicitors who will probably be in a distant location.  That panel solicitor will pay a "referral fee" to the HIP provider.   To pay that fee the solicitor has to charge you more.   Do you want that? 

If you choose your solicitor before you get involved with estate agents then the solicitor can arrange the HIP.   If you pay him upfront then the HIP is yours and you can change solicitors later if you want.   Will that apply with estate agents?

Of course at the moment all of this is only going to apply to 4 bedroom houses from 1st August so it will be much less important in the short term than it was first thought.  

Local Authority Searches used only to be done directly through the Council in quesiton and solicitors had to pay whatever the Council charged, which varies from about £70 (I'm not sure where this is) up to about £280, with an average outside London of about £150.   These searches can now be done through large private search companies such as STL, OneSearch, Richards Gray.   These companies keep databases of much of the information but have to send their agents into the Council offices to retrieve some of the stuff.  Generally they are cheaper, and usually charge a standard fee of about £100 for a search anywhere in England and Wales.  

If the buyer is getting a mortgage then usually the buyer's solicitor will also act for the mortgage lender and will have to follow the rules set out by it.  Some lenders will not accept these search agency searches, e.g. HSBC and Britannia Building Society.   Most either say "Yes" they will accept them or "No, but you may do so at your own risk".   In the latter case in the unlikely eventuality of something going wrong and it turning out that an adverse matter existed that should have been shown on the search, but wasn't, then if the lender repossesed and lost out on a sale, it would sue the solicitor (who had taken the risk).   The solicitor would then sue the search agency, who would recover from its own indemnity insurance.

Personally, I think the risk is acceptable, and therefore at the moment when acting for buyers (unless I have a lender that will not accept search agency searches at all), I use a search company.

Some solicitors won't take that risk, and so would say that they wanted the proper local search from the Council. Many of the large HIPS Providers will be streamlining their service by using private search agencies, some of whom have made commercial arrangements with HIPS providers.  The result is that if I am providing a HIP in the future I would normally advise that the proper local search is carried out to avoid arguments from buyers' solicitors.  This could cause delays if they then insist on carrying out another search, not to mention an annoyed buyer who thought he didn't have to pay for the search! 

Therefore I think what easylayers.co.uk say is about the searches is broadly right, although I am not sure that people are generally best off using a large online set up because they can be remote and impersonal.

 As a conveyancing solicitor I believe the information given in the post to be useful but I accept no liability except to fee-paying clients.

 

Hi Kush,

 Do you work for these guys? Your mates firm maybe?

Ok well all cynisism aside what you have been told is utter claptrap and decidedly dodgy.

If/when HIPs are finally introduced your Estate Agent SHOULD be the best person to contact, although alternatively you can look up the names online of HIP providers who can help you direct.

The important thing is that the provider is a memeber of The Association of Home Information Pack Providers (AHIPP). Go on to their website and there is a complete list of their members.

There are  cowboys in every industry including HIP Providers, Estate Agents and as we have just heard the wildewset frontier of "legal" advice. Dont be taken in.

My further advice is this.

1) Choose an Independent agent rather than a corporate name. Independents are more likely to appreciate your business and less likely to want to sell you their legal and financial services.

2) Free HIPs sound good but free isnt always free...(see above). eg If you dont complete you may be required to pay for the HIP.

3) You can pay on completion with an genuine HIP provider or through an agent using one but it will cost a bit more (approx £30-£40).

4) Dont pay any more than £350.00 plus VAT. Check if VAT is quoted because you may get a £60 + suprise.

5) Dont believe that by going to an agent it will be more expensive. The legal proffession (with a few exceptions) has not shaken off its couldnt-care-less attitude and as such most law firms are not competetive. Most agents (who only get paid when they sell a home) by contrast have a more proactive approach and should not be looking to make any money from a HIP. Your home on their books will be enough.

6) If you commision the HIP regardless of who has paid initially IT IS YOURS. Most independent agents will not buy in HIPs but will act as introducer using a HIP provider. Once again you will find that it is more likely that the corporate chains that will give the impression that they own the HIP ,SO STEER CLEAR! Also check the agents contract before you sign...good agents will have nothing to hide.

7) The same applies if you have one or more agents. Although I would recommend using one only...2 max. If you appoint a second agent nothing changes. If you move agent then the HIP is commutable. If you get problems you can always contact the HIP provider being used to obtain copies (usually at a cost of around £25-£30). As a last resort their is the ombudman scheme but that shouldnt be neccesary since most GOOD agents guard their reputation and will act fairly.

Good luck.

Hello

 My best advise would be for you to either sell your house privately or use an estate agent but only on sole agency basis

 

If you use an agent get them to include the HIP free of charge and use the estate agents contract we have, to get everything upfront, if the agents will not sign it then walk away..

Edited in line with Terms of Service
Community Editor

Thank you for your information.

I think the point the lawyer was making is that my first port of call is going to be the estate agent. If the estate agent tells me that if I market the property with them then they will pay for the HIP.

If I fall out with that estate agent then will they give me my HIP for the house for free so I can take it to another estate agent or joint agency to continue to sell the property. The lawyer said that they do not tie in the HIP to the conveyancing. thought their conveyancing is very reasonably priced at £400 inclusive of VAT and disbursements compared other quotes.

The lawyer said that if the DIY HIP provider or an non-compliant HIP provider did not follow the regulations would the buyers solicitor or the lender be satisfied. Someone told me that lenders do not like Personal Searches.

I do not see the point of doing a DIY HIP if it going to be rejected by the buyers solicitors.

You are right about the lawyer trying to get me to use their service. he said about Law Society regulated and professional indemnity insurance.

I am still confused.

Hips will become law on 1 june this year (supposedly), so if you are planning to put your property on the market in august u will need one whether u like it of not. Personally id say get it on before June! (then u have til December to sell it without needing to provide a HIP)

£399 is about an average price for them. Check out the governments advice regarding them though (google gov + HIPS) as i work for an estate agent and its news to me that if we apply for the HIPS it belongs to us! It should belong to u, u are paying for it afterall. Surely by what he says, if the lawyers pay for the HIPS, then it would belong to them instead of the estate agent, wouldnt it? So if u were dissatisfied with them, u would be locked in with them instead? U should only be paying the lawyers/estate agents once the property sale completes. Most seem to want you to pay for the HIPs up front.

Most estates agents im aware of are not producing the HIPS themselves but employing a HIPs provider to do so for them, effectively contracting it out, as are some local solicitors, so how can it then belong to them? Sounds like this lawyer is using scare tactics with u to get u to use them instead of an estate agent! The HIP goes with the house, so makes no difference whether u have a sole agent or joint agency acting for u. Theoretically u can provide your own HIPS independantly of estate agents, or solicitors if u have a providor willing to do one for u! The HIP has to be produced by a HIP provider, so how can it NOT be compliant? Plus, they will include the local authority searches, so it sounds to me like he's spinning u a line.

The same solicitor still cannot act on behalf of a buyer and vendor as it produces a conflict of interest, this will remain once HIPs are introduced.

If i were u, id talk with other solicitors, and estate agents, plus look online for info, but regardless, i would NOT recommend using this firm if this is the tactics they employ.

hello everyone. My first posting.

I am doing research on Home Information Pack for my property which I intend to sell in August.

Can someone help with the cost.

Has anyone heard of www.HIP-Lawyers.co.uk which is part of
www.easylawyers.co.uk.

They are a Law Society regulated solicitors firm.

They are offering the HIPs for a price of £399 including VAT regardless of size, location or whether it is freehold or leasehold.

They can also do my Conveyancing for a fixed fee of £400 inclusive of VAT and all disbursements. Is this real?

I telephoned them up and they said that it is genuine offer.

The lawyer there also mentioned that it is better to get the HIP done by lawyers then estate agents. The reason is that if the estate agent pays for the HIP it belongs to them and not you so you are struck with that estate agent. With a solicitor prepared HIPs they belong to me and I will be able to provide it to any esttate agent of my chioce. Also that it would possible to have joint agency if I purchase my own HIP but not if an estate agent produced it.

Also something about solicitors acting for buyer and lender will not accept personal searches (what are they?) and want the standard local authorities searches which are in more detail.

The point the lawyer was making is that if the HIP is not compliant than the buyers and lenders solicitor will not accept them. Is this true? If it is then I dont see the point having a HIP which the buyer and his lawyers does not accept.

Can any help me on this

Kind regard

Kush