HIPs (Home Information Packs) are now required for all properties in England and Wales.

The Girlings’ HIP delivers:

When Girlings are instructed by you on the sale of your property, you are entitled to a £75 credit towards our conveyancing fees subject to a successful completion.

Payment by credit or debit card welcomed.

To order a Girlings’ HIP, please telephone your local office (click here for details), e-mail or fax us.

We aim to make the whole process of obtaining a Girlings’ HIP as simple and as painless as possible.

Understandably, many home owners are confused as to the purpose, contents and cost of these packs, Girlings answer your questions below:

Why have HIPs been introduced?
The Government tells us that the pack aims to make the buying and selling process more transparent for all involved. With approximately 30% of UK property sales falling through before completion, the aim of HIPs is to reduce the cost of repeated searches on the same property by several prospective buyers. Another reason is to improve the energy efficiency of UK housing via a rating system and suggestions for making UK houses more environmentally friendly.

What needs to be included in a HIP?
From 6th April 2009, the required documents are:

•  An index of the documents in the pack 
•  A completed Property Information Questionnaire 
•  An energy performance certificate (EPC)
•  A sale statement
•  Evidence of title
•  Local and drainage searches and, if the property is
   leasehold, a copy of the lease (but these can be added
   later if all of the above are in place)

For further advice or to make an appointment with a member of our team, please contact the following:

Ashford	Canterbury	Folkestone	Herne Bay	Margate
Bank House 2a Bank Street Ashford Kent TN23 1BX	16 Rose Lane Canterbury Kent CT1 2UR	Europa House Sandgate Road Folkestone Kent CT20 1TD	39 William Street Herne Bay Kent CT6 5NR	Crown Chambers Broad Street Margate Kent CT9 1BN
01233 647377	01227 768374	01303 850100	01227 367355	01843 220274
Julie Staines Paul Boucher	Gareth Harvey Lindsay Sharp	Chris Trim Richard Turner	Ian Burrow Louise Farrow	June Riordan Christine Kemp
* This price includes disbursements and VAT. A separate quote is required for leasehold, new builds, unregistered and 6 bedroomed properties and above.