What about new-build properties?

Sellers of newly built homes will have to provide a Home Information Pack for potential buyers.

Where a home is marketed "off-plan" before it is physically complete, it will need a Pack (subject to the Packs phased implementation) but it will not have a full Energy Performance Certificate (EPC). Instead the Pack will contain a Predicted Energy Assessment. This will look similar to the graphs from a full EPC and will be produced from the design plans for the building rather than a physical inspection. There is no specified form for the predicted energy assessment but there is a template which can be used to create the predicted energy assessment (this page opens up the industry site in a new window).

As most new homes are sold 'off plan' before they're built, there might be differences between Packs for these sales and Packs provided for properties sold as completed dwellings. For example, the searches for the property and title information may cover a wider area if the property has not yet been allocated an address and individual titles have not yet been created.