Home Information Packs

With one in four property transactions breaking down before contracts are exchanged, often due to information coming to light after a formal offer has been made, the Home Information Packs are designed to reduce the stress of both buying and selling by containing all essential information about the property you are considering buying upfront.

What will the pack contain?

The Home Information Pack Regulations 2006 set out provisions on the compulsory ('required') and optional ('authorised') content of the Pack.

Compulsory documents are:

• Home Information Pack Index
• Energy Performance Certificate
• Sales statement
• Standard searches (local authority enquiries, drainage and water search)
• Evidence of title
• Additional information for leasehold and commonhold sales, where appropriate

Optional documents:

• Home Condition Report
• Legal summary
• Home use/contents forms
• Other documents

Energy Performance Certificate

An important part of the Home Information Pack is the Energy Performance Certificate (EPC). This tells prospective buyers about the energy performance of your house. Similar in look and feel to the EU energy label, this certificate gives your house a rating between A-G. This rating is awarded by an accredited Energy Assessor who visits the property to collect the relevant data and creates the certificate.

Energy efficiency rating

Each Energy Performance Certificate includes an energy efficiency rating that indicates the overall efficiency rating of a home. The higher the rating, the more energy efficient it is. It also indicates the potential for improvement.

Environmental carbon dioxide (CO₂ ) impact rating

The certificate also includes an environmental CO₂ rating that indicates your home's impact on the environment in terms of carbon dioxide emissions as well as the potential for improvement. The higher the rating, the less impact it has on the environment.

The average property in the UK falls within bands D-E for both ratings

Each rating is based on the performance of the building itself and its services (such as heating and lighting), rather than the domestic appliances within it e.g. washing machines etc. This is known as an asset rating. The certificate also takes into account the age, location, size and condition of the building when providing a rating and suggesting improvements.

Why do we need Energy Performance certificates?

Over 40% of the UK's carbon dioxide emissions come from the energy we use every day - at home and when we travel. These carbon dioxide emissions contribute to climate change and even small improvements to the energy efficiency of our homes could result in a significant reduction in these emissions.

Do buyers care how energy efficient my home is?

Yes, our research shows that buyers are willing to more for an environmentally friendly house - and that 70% consider energy efficiency to be important when buying a home.

Get a free home energy report

Would you like to find out what improvements you can make to improve the energy efficiency of your home? Find out by completing our free home energy check.

Visit the Home Information Pack website