So What Changes for Buyers and Sellers?

As a seller of residential property, providing a HIP up-front could mean that prospective purchasers are able to make better informed decisions about buying a property. This should reduce the likelihood of potentially unpleasant surprises later on in the process which could delay the transaction or indeed result in the transaction being aborted. For a prospective purchaser, the HIP provides important information about the property that they are considering purchasing, as well as important information about the relative energy efficiency of the property.