PALI post

DIY Do It Yourself Home Information Packs

Thu, 04 Mar 2010 16:08:08 +0000

If you wish to market your residential property for sale you will require a Home Information Pack before marketing can commence.

Some vendors have decided to try and produce their own packs, however when attempting this, homeowners often come unstuck as the HIP Regulations are fairly complicated.

Pali have been providing conveyancing searches to Solicitors and Property Professionals since 1999 and were therefore well placed when the Home Information Packs were introduced to aid individuals with the production of the HIP.

In 2007 Pali launched their website www.hipview.co.uk which enabled members of the public and property professionals to order full or partial HIPs online. The final product is displayed on the website and is given a unique URL or weblink and security PIN.

If you are considering producing your own Home Information Pack, telephone Pali on 0151 691 1170 for advice first. Pali will let you know all of the required documents for a specific property, tell you how to make sure they are suitable for inclusion in a Home Information Pack and as such will give you piece of mind that your pack is legal and adheres to the HIP Regulations.

You can purchase as many or as few components for your HIP from Pali and display the full final product online enabling you to grant anyone you wish to view it, instant access.

For more information please telephone 0151 691 1170.

Office of Fair Tradings Report into the Home Buying and Selling Process

Thu, 18 Feb 2010 16:11:18 +0000

A shake-up in how homes are sold, including updating legislation to allow new entrants into the market, could lead to a better deal for house buyers and sellers, the OFT said today.

The OFT’s study into home buying and selling, published today, found that the housing market remains dominated by traditional estate agents with weak competition between them on price. As property prices rise during housing booms, so too do estate agents’ fees.
Overall satisfaction with estate agents, however, has improved in recent years, according to research conducted as part of the study. Where there are problems with transactions, consumers generally do not think the estate agent was at fault.

The OFT believes that innovation in this sector, in particular through online services, could have a dramatic impact on the cost of buying and selling a home.

More than a quarter of sellers (27%) who used a traditional estate agent have considered using an alternative selling method, and experience from the US suggests that alternative brokerage models have the potential to put competitive pressure on traditional ways of buying and selling a home.

However, the way current legislation, dating from 1979, is framed may be hindering the development of new business models and needs reform so that new entrants, for example those that only introduce private sellers to each other, are not burdened with inappropriate regulation.

Beyond this, the OFT has found existing legislation as it applies to traditional estate agents is comprehensive and wide ranging, and that further regulation is unnecessary. Instead, the report says the focus should be on improving the enforcement of current rules to guard against serious breaches.

The only area where the OFT recommends the Government should consider additional rules is around fees received by estate agents for referring buyers to providers of ancillary services such as mortgage advice, surveys, and conveyancing. The OFT believes this could cause an estate agent to favour one buyer over another, to the seller’s disadvantage.

The OFT is also encouraging more consumers to negotiate on commissions paid to estate agents. Whilst almost a third (32 per cent) of those who had used a traditional estate agent believed that the fees they had paid to their estate agent represented slightly or very poor value for money, 64 per cent of sellers in the OFT’s survey in England and Wales did not negotiate a lower fee. Failing to shop around and negotiate on estate agents’ fees could be costing these house sellers up to £570 million a year, according to OFT analysis. The OFT’s advice service, Consumer Direct has created key tips for consumers which can be found at http://www.consumerdirect.gov.uk/hometips
John Fingleton, OFT Chief Executive, said: ’In the present economic climate it is more important than ever that people get a good deal when buying or selling a home.

‘Encouraging new business models, online estate agents and private seller platforms could put useful competitive pressure on traditional models and lead to better value for buyers and sellers. The Government can help this process by updating legislation and making sure regulation only applies where it is essential to protect consumers.

‘We also encourage home sellers to negotiate hard on commission fees and consider using alternatives to traditional estate agents.’
The market study and accompanying research reports can be found at http://www.oft.gov.uk/homes

No Sale No Fee Home Information Packs (HIPs)

Wed, 13 Jan 2010 12:23:14 +0000

No Sale No Fee HIPs – Free HIP if your Home Does Not Sell Within 9 MonthsNo Sale No Fee Home Information Packs are now available from Pali via Hipview.Pali have been offering a deferred payment option now on Home Information Packs ordered through Hipview for over 12 months. You can now add an insurance policy to the deferred payment solution meaning that should the property remain on the market in excess of 9 months the HIP won’t cost a penny.If you or your client choose the No Sale No Fee option when ordering the Home Information Pack the only initial cost will be £30. If the property sells within 9 months the HIP is payable on completion, but if it remains on the market for longer than nine months then any direct costs incurred for the HIP can be claimed back and what’s more, the HIP should still be valid.For more information please telephone 0151 691 1170 or email nick@paliltd.comTerms and Conditions:There are some key conditions to the policy which should noted:• The HIP Provider/ Estate Agent must note any recommendation to alter the sale price of the property made by the Estate Agent and Seller• The Seller must comply with any advice given by the Estate Agent to reduce the price of the property and may not reject two or more offers within 90% of the asking price• The HIP Provider/Estate Agent must note the rejection of any offer made on the property• The property must be continually marketed during the period of insurance• The property must be kept in a good state of repair• The Property is a single private residential house or flat which is build complete at the order date.• The Home Information Pack for which this cover is required has been produced in accordance with the relevant Home Information Pack Regulations.• The Seller is not aware of any matter which could lead to a claim under the Policy.A full set of Terms and Conditions will be provided with the Insurance Guarantee and are also available on request, or by clicking here.For more information please contact your local Pali office or email: nick@paliltd.com or telephone 0151 691 1170 or visit our webpage.

PCCB Findings Local Authority Searches

Tue, 12 Jan 2010 17:22:42 +0000

In 2009 allegations were made of malpractice within the Personal Search Industry. The allegations were mainly made by opponents of the industry and were that the reports prepared by Personal Search Companies were inferior in quality to council searches and more widespread concern that certain firms were knowingly not buying all the required data or failing to access legitimate sources of information. In October, November and December 2009 the PCCB (Property Codes Compliance Board) carried out thorough investigations of its Code Subscribers with regards to these allegations.

Frank Finch of the PCCB today made the following statement:‘In summary, the enquiry found no evidence to support the allegation of widespread non-compliance. Rather it confirmed that the searches sampled were substantially compliant with the relevant regulations and with the Search Code.’A total of 58 searches, comprising 900 questions were scrutinised, with errors being found in just 3% of answers and none of these related to the substantive allegations that data was either missing or inappropriate data was being used.Finch went on to comment on the errors by saying that they‘Appear to result from a lack of diligence rather than deliberate attempts to short-circuit the provisions in the Code. This is borne out by the fact that these failings featured in searches conducted by both personal search firms and local authorities in roughly equal measure.’In fact, over half of all errors or omissions identified in the exercise related to local authority reports.This goes to prove that Council Searches are no more reliable than those provided by firms who subscribe to the Search Code.

ICO Decision in Favour of Pali and Against Tendring Council

Tue, 10 Nov 2009 12:23:53 +0000

Another week and another victory for PALI in their continuing struggle to gain their legally entitled access to environmental information. The Basildon office of PALI (Property And Land Information) lodged a second complaint, this time against Tendring District Council for refusing access to Building Control records and charging to provide the information. In line with their previous complaint against Maldon Council, Jeremy Tyler of the Basildon office complained that Tendring were operating restrictive practices as the information he was requesting access to was environmental and should be available to the public free of charge under European law. The council disputed this and continued to refuse access to the information. Jeremy went as far as he could with internal complaints and during lengthy email exchanges, Tendring re-iterated its refusal so Jeremy reported the council to The Information Commissioners Office (ICO) which rules on these matters.The ICO contacted the Council giving them ample time to change their mind, which the Council refused to do, therefore, inline with two similar cases that the ICO has ruled on, it was expected that the ruling would be in line with these previous rulings. That is in fact what happened and the ruling was in favour of PALI and against firstly Maldon and now Tendring.This latest decision by the ICO can be read on this blog CLICKING HERE.In summary the decision was that the information requested was environmental and access should be freely available at a point designated for that purpose and within a reasonable time scale.Jeremy Tyler, Director of PALI Basildon said, “This may be the battle won but not the war, it is going to take time to get all councils complying with the law, this is an abuse of power and we will do all we can to ensure that councils work within its remit and do not abuse their powers.”Decision Notice

Improve HIPs

Wed, 21 Oct 2009 16:17:42 +0000

There has been a lot of talk from the Conservative party about scrapping Home Information Packs if and when they are elected.Pali has been providing Conveyancing Searches to Solicitors and Property Professionals since 1999. With the introduction of Home Information Packs in 2007 their client base expanded to include HIP Providers, Estate Agents and members of the public. The website Hipview was set up to assist people in the ordering, tracking, viewing and storing of Home Information Packs.While the company has changed to accommodate the new legislation of the Home Information Packs, it is not reliant on them. However it is Pali’s opinion that they should not be scrapped, but instead worked on to improve them and fulfil the function they were originally put in place to do.The main objectives of the HIPs should be:• To give potential buyers information upfront on properties they are considering purchasing.• To speed up the conveyancing process.• To cut down on duplication of reports being purchased by multiple potential buyers.• To give all interested parties information of energy consumption and CO2 emissions, indicating where financial savings on fuel bills can be made and reducing climate change.Taking these points into consideration, improvements could be made certainly on the first two. The Home Information Pack was originally intended to include a condition rating on the property in the form of a Home Condition Report. In Pali’s opinion this was the most important and useful element of the pack for potential purchasers. When the Labour Government decided to make this document optional it seriously damaged the pack. If the Home Condition Report, or another similar survey was re-introduced as a required component, in Pali’s opinion, the packs would be of much more interest to potential purchasers and save hundreds of pounds on wasted surveys.Home Information Packs have undoubtedly all ready speeded up the conveyancing process, however it doesn’t go far enough. With the implementation of an Exchange Ready HIP, the conveyancing process could be much quicker. The Exchange Ready HIP would have a lot more information added to the HIP which would normally be enquiries made by the purchasers solicitor once sale was agreed. Other documents can also be included such as fixtures and contents forms, draft contract, the Property Information Form etc. It would be advisable that the Exchange Ready pack be produced in association with a Solicitor, however AHIPP are currently working on a form, the PDQ, which would cover most of this information.Simply implementing both of the above points would make the Home Information Pack a much more worthwhile product, but they are by no means the only improvements which could be made. What is certain is scrapping the HIPs completely would be a mistake, with a little more work all of the time and effort which has brought the packs to this point would not be wasted. In scrapping them and going back to the drawing board the added expense would be phenomenal. One thing most people are agreed on is the process buying and selling of property needs improving and information upfront seems to be the best way to achieve this goal.Your comments are welcome.

Chancel Repair Liability

Tue, 20 Oct 2009 08:49:19 +0000

Chancel Repair Liability is a law dating back to medieval times when churches, or chancels were maintained by wealthy land owners. Since then the large estates of land have been broken down and developed to multiple private residences, however the Chancel Repair Liability, in many instances has been passed down to the new properties. This in effect means you could be liable to pay for repairs to your local church with bills potentially running into tens or even hundreds of thousands of pounds.Churches now have until 2013 to express a specific interest in a property. If they don’t properties will no longer be at risk.Because of this the number of Churches investigating potential liabilities has increased as highlighted on this mornings GMTV.You can however check to see if your property is at risk of Chancel Repair Liability. Pali provide ChancelCheck Searches for £23.00. Simply telephone 0151 691 1170 to order one.It doesn’t necessarily have to be your own property you carry the search out on, if you are considering purchasing a property it is advisable you either instruct your solicitor to purchase the search or buy one yourself.Selling your property? Why not purchase a ChancelCheck Search and include it in your Home Information Pack ( HIP ), thus reassuring potential buyers.For more information or advice telephone 0151 691 1170 or email nick@paliltd.com

Quick HIP

Sun, 18 Oct 2009 12:38:42 +0000

CALL 0151 691 1170Need to get your property on the market fast and don’t want to be slowed down by the Home Information Pack regulations? Pali can supply you with the HIP components that must be in place before a residential property can be marketed very quickly.A property cannot be legally marketed until the following elements of a Home Information Pack are in place:IndexSale StatementProperty Information QuestionnaireLand Registry Office Copy & Title Plan (Registered Properties)Search of the Index Map Register (Unregistered Properties)Energy Performance Certificate.Pali’s online systems mean that the majority of the above will be in place usually within an hour or so of the order being taken. As long as the Energy Assessor is able to gain access to the property immediately there should be no reason there is a delay in marketing your home.Orders for Home Information Packs can be placed by CLICKING HERE or telephoning 0151 691 1170.

Development Packs

Sun, 18 Oct 2009 12:31:28 +0000

Builders and developers once again seem to be on the look out for plots of land suitable for residential development. Pali (Property and Land Information) can assist you with this by providing a great deal of information. From initial searches such as Local Authority & Environmental to check the land is suitable for purpose, to utility company asset plans and wayleave searches, SAP (Standard Assessment Procedure) Reports (now required by local authorities for building regulations approval) and Energy Performance right through to Home Information Packs when you choose to market the property whether off plan or complete. We will be there to help you every step of the way. Development Packs Pali are pleased to announce the launch of their new Development Packs. The packs can provide potential purchasers or their solicitors, details of areas of land which are intended for development. Pali have been established since 1999, we are a local company and have national coverage with over 30 offices across the country. We at Pali specialise in Conveyancing Searches, SAP Reports, Energy Performance Certificates and Home Information Packs. The components of the packs can be tailored to suite your requirements, but the basic components are: Sewer/Drains & Water Mains Location Electrical Apparatus Location Gas Apparatus Location BT Apparatus Location Virgin Media Apparatus Location Cable & Wireless Apparatus Location Prices for the above start at £415.00 inc VAT. Additional components include: Local Authority Search Groundsure Review Groundsure Planview Depending upon location you may require various mining searches such as: Coal and Cheshire Brine Tin/Metalliferous Mining Search China Clay/Ball Clay Search Limestone Search British Gypsum Mining Search Bespoke packs are available on request. If you have any questions or would like to discuss any of the above please contact, Nick Small Jnr on 0151 691 1170.

Home Information Pack ( HIP )

Sun, 18 Oct 2009 11:32:16 +0000

Telephone 0151 691 1170 The current economic climate has caused many companies to go out of business. Home Information Pack providers have been affected by this more so as they are linked directly to the property industry and many were new companies set up when the HIP regulations were introduced. The result of these HIP companies closing has been that many property vendors have either lost or never received the Home Information Packs they have paid for. Pali have been providing conveyancing searches, the core elements of the HIP, since 1999. In 2007 Pali launched their website Hipview which enabled Hips to be ordered and stored in one place. Hipview is available for anyone to use. If you have recently purchased a HIP, or are considering doing so, be sure to insist that your HIP Provider used Hipview to store the final product. As all of the HIPs on Hipview are stored and archived on secure servers located in the North West of England, you can rest assured that if your HIP Provider disappears, your HIP won’t. Every Home Information Pack stored on Hipview has a unique security PIN (Property Identification Number) and URL, for quick and easy access. Alternatively you can order your full Home Information Pack from Pali. Simply Click Here or telephone 0151 691 1170.