The sale statement is a simple document which provides basic information about the property to be sold.

The statement should set out the name of the seller and the property being sold, whether the property is freehold, leasehold or commonhold, whether the property is registered or unregistered and whether or not the property is being sold with vacant possession.

The document you mention is a fixtures, fittings and contents form. Whilst this is traditionally provided by the seller, it is not a compulsory part of a HIP.

Regards
Hesham

I’ve assumed that the sale statement is the list of items included/excluded in/from the sale.

Best Regards,

Sarah.

If you are selling the property privately without an estate agent, you could compile the HIP yourself or you could instruct a solicitor to put it together for you.

You, or your solicitor, would need to obtain Land Registry title documentation relating to your property together with a completed Property Information Questionnaire and local authority and drainage & water search results. The HIP must also contain an Energy Performance Certificate. A seller (or their solicitor) would generally need to liaise with a third party agent in order to obtain this.

A HIP index and sale statement would complete the package of documents. If a private sale was arranged, the HIP index would be the responsibility of the seller. The index is basically a list of the documents which are included in the HIP. This should be kept up to date as additional documents are added.

I trust the above is of assistance. If you need any further information then please do not hesitate to contact our residential conveyancing team.

Regards
Hesham

Seeing as though you’ve managed to answer all my questions, iro the Home Information Pack, I was wondering if you’d be able to provide some further advice?

I am considering marketing my property privately for a couple of reasons; To save on estate agent fees which should help soften the blow of the lower property valuation. Secondly, when I have spoken to estate agents, about the HIP, they ( I’ve spoken to several) seem rather vague on the subject. I find this a little worrying considering they say they can arrange the HIP for me, and are supposed to be there to advise both myself and potential buyers.

I was of the opinion that it may be more beneficial, especially in the current economic crisis, to go it alone and just arrange my HIP through a solicitor. Would you agree with this or is it, in your opinion, not worth the saving for all the hassle trying to find a buyer privately may bring? Who would take responsibility for managing the index of the HIP if I do decide to find a buyer privately?

Thanks.

Sarah.

Eric Hundin