Information Questionnaire Title documents for the property Local Authority and drainage searches If the property was leasehold or commonhold, then the pack also had to include the following: Copy of the lease Building insurance policy Contact details for the landlord or management and any legal details Regulations that apply Recent service charge receipts and accounts For a transitional period sellers were able to market their homes without the searches or leasehold documents as long as the pack contained evidence that they had been commissioned and would be included as soon as practicable but certainly within 28 days. However the Government announced in December 2008 that with effect from 6 April 2009 this concession was to be withdrawn, and the HIPS pack would have to be completely available on the day that the property was first offered for sale. The pack could also contain some or all of these authorised documents: Home Condition Report Two sellers questionnaire forms called Home Use Form and Home Contents Form Legal summary Other searches such as a mining search Home Condition Report A property inspector primary task is to inspect a property to ensure that there are no structural flaws in the property. The inspector’s task needs to be only on the surface level and he cannot make an intrusive check on the property. That is unless the inspector or his team find something that is just too extraordinary to ignore. A home inspection is done using a large number of tools and special equipment to conduct the analysis. The main agenda of the inspection is to check for vulnerable areas in the home that could be a hazard risk. Does the home have any structural flaws? Is the property built with sub-standard materials? These are the kind of questions that need to be answered by the home inspector. 14 Energy Performance Certificate Similar to EU appliance efficiency ratings, the energy performance ratings on the Energy Performance Certificate provide prospective purchasers with an assessment of the property's energy consumption, together with a list of practical measures that can be taken to cut their fuel bills and carbon emissions. An Energy Performance Certificate (EPC) in the UK needs to be completed by a government qualified Domestic Energy Assessor (DEA). DEAs offer advice on how to improve the energy performance of the dwelling which might save money. However, in practice, such documents only give general advice of