Estate & Managing Agents - Your Legal Obligations 

As of 10th September 2007 in England and Wales, the law will require sellers of residential property  (3 bedroom or above) or their estate agents, to have commissioned a Home Information Pack before putting their homes up for sale. 

As Estate Agents, you can only market a home if you have commissioned a valid Home Information Pack for that property to give to potential buyers. 

The documents that have to be included in a Pack from the first day of marketing include an index, an Energy Performance Certificate, the Sales Statement and Evidence of Title. 

For the other compulsory documents – the local property searches and certain documents for leasehold properties – the Government is initially allowing flexibility. 

Marketing can begin provided the missing documents are added to the Pack as soon as possible. There must be evidence in the Pack that these documents have already been commissioned.

Optional documents in the HIP include the Home Condition Report (HCR), which the Government strongly encourages sellers to include.

National Association of Registered Home Inspectors