Home Information Pack - Northern Ireland
The requirement to produce an energy certificate to prospective purchasers
when selling a home is being taken forward in England and Wales through the
Home Information Pack.
The Office of the Deputy Prime Minister (ODPM) has carried out research
which indicates that it takes eight weeks on average from acceptance of an
offer on a property to exchange of contract. This period is considered to be the
most problematic and prone to delays - with professionals waiting to hear from other professionals, agencies or the consumers before they take action.
However, some of the delay and other problems could be removed by better
preparation on the part of the buyer and seller.
The Home Information Pack aims to bring forward the availability of
information to the very start of the process. It requires the person marketing a
residential property with vacant possession to have a Home Information Pack
prepared before marketing the property. The pack is expected to contain
documents and information similar to those mentioned above, including a
report on the condition of the property.
The contents of the pack are likely to be:
• Evidence of title, title deeds;
• Replies to standard preliminary enquiries made on behalf of buyers;
• Copies of any planning, listed buildings and building regulation consents and
approvals;
• Copies of warranties and guarantees for new properties;
• A draft contract;
• Replies to searches made of the local council;
• A Home Condition Report (HCR) based on a professional survey of the
property, including an energy efficiency report (based on a SAP Energy
Rating). This will meet the requirements of the EU Directive on the Energy
Performance of Buildings.
• Leasehold properties will require further relevant information as they do now
e.g. service change history.
It is the view of ODPM that a Home Information Pack will go a long way
towards ending the stress associated with buying and selling a home.
Consumers will have access to crucial information up front enabling them to
make decisions on the single biggest transaction they may ever make. At
present much of this information is only provided after an offer has been
accepted and any delays mean it can take weeks to exchange contracts.
The home buying process here in Northern Ireland is similar to that in England
and Wales. An offer to buy a property and acceptance of that offer are made
"subject to contract". Such an offer and its acceptance do not constitute a
legally binding agreement; this is usually only achieved with an exchange of
contracts.
DSD does not consider a Home Information Pack necessary in Northern
Ireland since the housing market here does not suffer the same delays and
problems experienced in England and Wales. We do not believe that a Home
Information Pack is necessary to ensure compliance with the Directive but that
the requirement to show an energy certificate will be self -enforcing.