This week, as the government reported progress in the development of the Home Information Pack (HIP) and confirmed plans for its introduction, we also announced our own very significant advance which will immediately benefit conveyancing lawyers, estate agents and most importantly, their clients.
The pack contains a summary assessment, a building survey, up to five property searches and a guide to the local neighbourhood.
Significantly, the Habitus HomeBuyer’s Pack involves the Habitus surveyor receiving the property searches before visiting the property so that they can be evaluated on the ground during the survey and reported in the summary assessment. Gone are the days when the surveyor could only write ‘see search’ or ‘no information available’. Now the searches are properly qualified by our surveyor who acts as the lawyer’s eyes and ears on the ground. Searches provided include the local authority search, an environmental search, a planning search, a drainage search and a coal mining report.
The impact of a proper assessment of the searches during the surveyor’s visit to the property cannot be underestimated. For example, the environmental search on a property may suggest that it is in a floodplain. However, our surveyor may well be able to confirm on visiting the property that it is on ground sufficiently high above the floodplain and therefore not at risk. The chance of the purchase proceeding is therefore significantly enhanced.
Habitus CEO Brendan Doyle says: “The new Habitus HomeBuyer’s Pack puts all the issues into context, answering any queries concerning the condition of the property and the impact of the searches, thus helping the buyer and the seller reach exchange much faster. Agents and lawyers can therefore confidently recommend this unique and comprehensive package of survey and searches to their clients.”
