Reminder: changes in the contents of Home Information Packs

Relevant to
Estate agents, pack provider companies and conveyancers in England and Wales who are involved in the buying and selling of residential property.

Property sellers will be responsible for completing a new Property Information Questionnaire (PIQ) and estate agents will be responsible for ensuring that a PIQ is included in every Home Information Pack they give to potential buyers.

Took effect on
6 April 2009

From 6 April 2009, all properties marketed for sale on or after this date must contain a new mandatory form - a Property Information Questionnaire (PIQ).

PIQs are easy to complete and sellers should be able to complete them without professional assistance. It is the seller's responsibility to complete a PIQ - using the appropriate form for existing or new homes - and include it in their HIP.

PIQs present key information of interest to potential buyers of all homes - eg information on any changes made to the property and the applicable council tax band.

The leasehold section must be completed for leasehold properties to include information regarding the lease, such as information on the service charges payable and car parking arrangements.

PIQs will replace Home Use Forms.

On 1 January 2009, certain temporary regulations applying to HIPs were extended or made permanent. As a result, a copy of the lease is now the only required leasehold document. This made permanent the temporary requirement to only include a copy of the lease for leasehold sales. Other documents that were required for leasehold sales become authorised - ie they will not be mandatory, but may be included at the seller's discretion.

For those homes marketed up to and including 5 April 2009, it will still be possible to:

• begin marketing without a HIP where required HIP documents have been commissioned and have either been paid for or a commitment to pay for them has been made, and are expected to arrive within 28 days  
• cover information gaps in personal searches with insurance in cases where a local authority has refused access to the information in question.

• Property Information Questionnaire forms on the Communities and Local Government website - Opens in a new window
• For an overview of current law in this area, see our section on Home Information Packs

Full title of regulation
Home Information Pack (Amendment) (No.3) Regulations 2008 [SI 2008/3107]; Home Information Pack (Amendment) Regulations 2009 [SI 2009/34]

From
Communities and Local Government

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