Home Information Packs - Buyers Beware

A recent Trading Standards investigation into Home Information Packs produced by Estate Agents has found that they contain serious errors, including absent information and inaccurate dates for planning proposals.

The Law Society has received reports that some Estate Agents are being paid undisclosed commissions by search companies to include poor quality searches in their Home Information Packs and the Trading Standards investigation seems to confirm this.

It is a requirement that the Home Information Pack is accurate and contains reliable information and home owners should think more than ever before about who they commission to prepare their Home Information Pack.

There is now clear evidence that cheap packs prepared by unregulated Estate Agents or Home Information Pack company's are not fit for purpose.

Apart from being a clear case of breaking the law, a non compliant pack only serves to slow down the Conveyancing process and it makes more sense than ever to instruct a Solicitor not only in the preparation of the Home Information Pack but on all of the paperwork that is invloved in the selling of a home.

Research shows that instructing a Solicitor early on in the transaction will significantly speed up the process of selling the property and ensure it runs as smoothly as possible.

In April of this year, Pengillys successfully completed it's 100th HIP demonstrating that when carried out properly and reliably Home Information Packs can help smooth the Conveyancing process.