Guide to Property for Sale or Rent

Energy Performance Certificates for Rental Properties
From October 1st, 2008 all properties made available for rent will require an Energy Performance Certificate (EPC). The report will be required for new tenancies only and will be valid for up to 10 years.

As you can imagine, the demand for Energy Performance Certificates (EPC´s) will be vast. With only qualified Domestic Energy Assessors being able to complete the EPC´s, there could well be a backlog leading to delays in rental agreements being able to be put into place.

Fortunately, as the reports will be valid for up to 10 years, there is nothing to stop you getting ahead of the game and ordering your EPC now. Additionally, if you alter the property it may even be worth buying a new Energy Performance Certificate. Landlords who regularly let to students will have heard many ask what the bills are. This is an excellent way to keep your property let by demonstrating the heat retention.

Gatehouse Estates Property Management has already arranged for a fast, efficient, professional service and with fees starting from just £70 plus VAT. Discounts are available for large property portfolios.

email us here for a quote, or call 01480 433933.

When selling my own property,What Searches are carried out and why? - In the Uk, when you now sell a property, you are obliged to provide information regarding your property that is not just about the physical structure. Most of this information is now provided to the buyer within the form of a Home Information Pack (HIP). However, ’searches’ is a term loosely used by conveyancers and estate agents. Here is a brief explanation of some of the searches involved in a property sale:

Local authority search - If there is a Home Information Pack (HIP) this search will be included in it. This search reveals details of matters such as the planning history, proposals for new road schemes, planning breaches, tree
preservation orders, conservation areas and other matters over which the council have control and may affect the enjoyment or value of the property. Your mortgage lender (if any) will require you to have one of these.

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What is a Home Information Pack?
A Home Information Pack (”HIP”) contains important information that buyers and sellers need to know about a property. The Pack includes an Energy Performance Certificate (EPC), containing advice on how to cut carbon emissions and fuel bills. Also included are documents such as a sale statement, searches and evidence of title. Packs are now required for the sale of four bedroom properties and larger. Smaller properties will be phased in as soon as sufficient energy assessors are fully qualified. The seller orders and pays for the HIP at the point where a property is put on the market. It is provided to the Buyer free of charge. If you are a seller, we can arrange for a HIP to be prepared on your behalf. For further details, contact us on: 01480 434290 or zoe@gatehouseestates.co.uk

For sellers, providing a Pack upfront should reduce the likelihood of any nasty surprises in the selling process that could delay the sale, as buyers will be able to make more informed decisions about purchasing their home.
For buyers, the Pack provides essential information about properties they are considering buying, free of charge.

On-line conveyancing

Save yourself a great deal of money. The traditional ways of having your house sale legally processed have long gone. With the advent of on-line shopping, banking, blogs, forums etc, we are all now used to secure server log-ins and generally feel more in control when we are able to track progress on-line.

House sale conveyancing has come of age. You can now order your free quote for selling, or buying, on-line. You can even order your Home Information Pack (HIP´s) and Energy Performance Certificate (EPC) on-line.

Gatehouse Estates are able to provide quotataions for HIP´s, EPC´s and Conveyancing packages. Once you have decided to go ahead with a Conveyancing deal, you will be allocated your own log-in username and Password. From this point forward, you will be able to remove a great deal of the frustration that people have had to endure in the past, namely waiting for an update about the next stage in the process of buying, or selling, your home.

Want to know more? Call 01480 434290 or email zoe@gatehouseestates.co.uk