Important notes for house buyers:

• Ask to see the HIP on a house you are interested in.
• Check to see if any of the compulsory documents are missing.
• Request that seller includes a Home Condition Report if one is not present.
• Give a copy of the pack to your solicitor - this could save you time and money.
• Contact local authority trading standards officers if you believe that you are being denied a copy of the HIP unlawfully.

All houses placed on the market for sale must have a Home Information Pack. You can get a pack by contacting one of the following:

• Estate Agent
• Solicitor
• Mortgage Broker
• HIP provider

Alternatively, Anglian Home Inspection Centre can provide you with your own Home Information Pack which will belong to you and therefore will NOT be tied to any particular Estate Agent. The HIPs we provide are fully compliant with the HIP Regulations and are fully insured.

All HIPs ordered through us will automatically be placed in our HIP database which allows easy access for your Estate Agent, Solicitor, potential buyers and yourself.

All our HIPs contain Home Condition Reports or Energy Performance Certificates carried out by our own local accredited Home Inspectors who live and work throughout Norfolk.

The Energy Performance Certificate (EPC) provides a measure of how energy efficient a house is as well as indicating carbon dioxide emmissions. It also contains recommended measures that can be taken to improve energy efficiency.

The rating is derived from a model house and therefore many of the calculations make assumptions about the construction of houses. Whilst this may seem limiting, the majority of houses in England and Wales are built in the same way and therefore adhere to the model.

The EPC displays the rating graphically, much like household white goods' energy efficiency is displayed.

The EPC is a compulsory docuument in the Home Information Pack and from 1st October 2008, landlords are required to make an EPC available to new tenants of domestic rental properties.

Our EPCs are carried out by Home Inspectors. This ensures thorough and meticulous inspection standards and the option to add a Home Condition Report to the HIP.