Home Information Packs
In the U.K., it is now the law that all sellers, including those who are listing their homes online rather than through an estate agent, must have prepared a home information pack and have it available to potential buyers on the first day the property is marketed. Home information packs are designed to give sellers the most important details about a property in one document, including evidence of the title of the house, an energy performance certificate and a sale statement. A Property Information Questionnaire (PIQ) also must be included; these are standard forms that raise questions of the seller by the buyer. Be careful in completing these forms because if a statement of fact has been made which is untrue—deliberately or not—then a claim for misrepresentation can be made against the seller, though it is the buyer's responsibility to investigate the property.
