Residential Property Services
An Energy Performance Certificate is a compulsory part of a Home Information Pack.
The certificates are commissioned by the seller/landlord (or their agent) from an
accredited Domestic Energy Assessor, who visits the property to collect the relevant
data and creates the certificate. This data includes the date, construction and
location of the property and relevant fittings (heating systems, insulation or double
glazing, for example).
Energy Performance Certificates tell you how energy efficient a home is on a scale
of A-G. The most efficient homes - which should have the lowest fuel bills - are
in band A.
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A Home Information Pack (HIP) is now required for most homes put on the market with
vacant possession. From 6th April 2009 the HIP must be in place prior to marketing.
Anyone marketing a home for sale in England and Wales, whether they are an estate
agent or auctioneer, a housing developer, or a private individual is responsible
for ensuring that a HIP is in place and made available to potential buyers.
HIPs are designed to bring information upfront to increase certainty and inform
buyers about a property before they incur costs. Informed choice by buyers at the
start of the process will help reduce delays later on and reduce wasted time for
sellers.
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The Home Condition Report is designed to be an objective report on the condition
of the property that can be relied upon by buyers, sellers and mortgage lenders.
It will be written in Plain English in a standard format and will describe the general
condition of the property taking account of its age, character and location; how
energy efficient it is; and any defects or other matters requiring attention.
The Home Condition Report is designed to be a 'mid-range' survey, similar to the
current Homebuyer Survey and Valuation - not as detailed as a Building Survey (sometimes
known as a 'full structural survey') but a lot more extensive than a mortgage lender's
valuation inspection.
The aim of the Home Condition Survey (HCS) is to tell you about any defects that
need urgent attention or are serious. It also tells you about things that need further
investigations to prevent damage to the structure of the building.
The report applies ‘condition ratings’ to the major parts of the main building (it
does not give condition ratings to outbuildings). The property is broken down into
separate elements, and each element is given a condition rating.
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Coming soon.
From 6th April 2008, it will be law to provide an On Construction Energy Performance
Certificate (OCEPC) for all new build homes that are completed after this date.
The OCEPC will form part of the Home Inspection Pack (HIP) for the new owner.
An OCEPC gives information on the buildings energy efficiency, and is displayed
similar to the A-G ratings found on electrical appliances.
Recent Feedback
"Sellers whose HIP included a Home Condition Report (HCR) were more likely to agree
that having the HIP would speed up the sale of their property than those whose HIP
did not contain an HCR."
CLG - Home Information Pack Area Trials – Research Report (March 2008)