Q. Why should I let my agent organise my HIP when I can buy one that costs less on the internet?
A. Good question, considering we are not able to sell a property without one. The truth is you may find a provider that will charge less but paying less is not always best. That’s not to say that internet suppliers that you see advertised are not providing fully compliant HIPS. However before you go ahead and instruct one you most certainly need to address a few basic questions.
First, how quickly will your HIPS be produced? Remember you cannot market your property without a HIP. Speed is obviously important at this early stage, when any seller is keen to get the property marketed as soon as possible.
Second, does the search company used by the HIP provider belong to the Council of Property Search Organisations (CoPSO)?
Third, will the Energy Performance Certificate be provided by a qualified and currently accredited domestic energy assessor?
Fourth, is the internet based company a member of the Association of HIP providers (AHIPP) – and consequently bound by its independently monitored code of conduct?
Clearly a lot to think about? Even if you do get satisfactory answers to all these questions, you’re still left with the fact that under the regulations, your agent is the person legally responsible for ensuring that a fully compliant HIP is in place before your property can be marketed, and criminally liable if those regulations are breached. Not surprising then that most agents tend to prefer to use their own supplier whose service and integrity they rely upon.