“Surveyors across the UK have the capability to add an extra revenue-stream to their businesses and become instant Home Information Pack (HIP) providers. By harnessing existing Quest systems, most of which has been in place for many years, surveyors are in a prime position to manage this service offering,” says Tom Parker, managing director of surveying IT specialists, Quest Associates.
The current Quest system is used to handle mortgage valuation requests and property condition reports. However, unbeknown to many surveyors, the system can also produce all the essential HIP contents, allowing them to become the single point of contact for estate agents looking to obtain a HIP and its associated Home Condition Report (HCR).
The Quest system allows Surveyors to instantly progress the following:
- Initiating local authority, Land Registry and property searches electronically;
- Scanning of non-electronic documents;
- Directing vendors to a website to complete preliminary enquiries;
- Posting of completed HIPs to a secure website;
- Printing completed HIPs or sending, electronically, to specialist print shops;
- Directing estate agents, or others, to a specific website to instruct HIPs.
The Quest system already has the full capabilities to not only develop, collate, share and control the data required for the Home Condition Reports, but can allow surveyors to ultimately become a HIP provider.
Comments Parker: “The surveyor community is extremely well placed to become providers of the Home Information Pack when it comes into force in 2007, adding an extra revenue-generator to each firm. Estate agents will automatically contact surveyors to generate the HCR, which will be included in all HIPs, so it makes sense to become a ‘one stop shop’ and offer the full pack. The contents will be gathered automatically and the HIP returned electronically for publication on the Estate Agents own website.”
Concludes Parker: “It really is very simple. Quest has a solid reputation for providing effective technologies that help surveyors efficiently undertake their day-to-day functions, and the provision of the HIP is no exception.”
