Your Questions Answered

It should take on average 48 hours to put together the essential information in a HIP to be able to get a property on the market.

Sellers should think about the information they need to complete the PIQ as early as possible to make sure their HIP is available on the date they want to put their home on the market. Potential buyers will not be able to view the home until it is on the market with a HIP that includes a completed PIQ. Sellers should also expect to be asked for similar information by their solicitor or conveyance at a later stage as part of the selling process.

Buyers should think about how best to use the PIQ as a checklist for useful questions before or during a viewing, such as asking about parking arrangements, council tax, central heating maintenance, and service charges for leasehold properties.

You can download a copy of the PIQ from www.nichedra.co.uk/PIQ.pdf

If a property is on the market before 6 April 2009 there is no requirement for the PIQ to be included in the HIP.

Where the property is on the market before 6 April 2009 and the seller changes agent after this date, there is no requirement to update the existing documents in the HIP or for the PIQ to be included. However, the new agent will continue to be responsible for ensuring that the pack complies with the HIP regulations.

Once all the required documents are included in the HIP, sellers do not have to update the pack unless they get a new version of a document. If a seller decides to take their property off of the market, they can put it back on the market with the same HIP as long as this happens within 12 months of the date when the property was first put up for sale. EPCs are valid for three years but searches and proof of title documents cannot be more than three months old when marketing begins.

Anyone interested in buying a property can ask for a copy of the pack, or any part of it, and this should be given to them within 14 days by the estate agent (or the seller themselves if they are not using an estate agent). There is no power in the HIP rules to charge for this, but a potential buyer can be asked to pay a reasonable sum to cover the copying and postage costs for making and sending a paper copy. There should be no charge for an electronic copy of the HIP.

Sellers should complete the PIQ and should also check the other documents in their pack to make sure they are complete and accurate. Sellers can get a paper copy of the pack from their estate agent and there is no power in the HIP rules to charge for this.

Local authority trading standards officers are responsible for enforcing HIP duties, including a potential buyer's right to get a copy of the HIP. They can offer help and advice but can also issue a penalty notice of £200 to anyone each time the HIP duties are broken. The Office of Fair Trading can also ban estate agents who constantly break the HIP rules. Information on how to contact your local trading standards department can be found at www.consumerdirect.co.uk

All estate agents must belong to an approved redress scheme. The scheme must cover all estate agency activities, including their duties to provide a copy of a valid HIP. This means that complaints about estate agents will be dealt with and compensation or other relevant action will be taken where complaints are upheld.