Who can help you complete a Property Information Questionnaire (PIQ)?

The Home Information Pack (HIP) Provider?

You should contact your specific HIP provider and enquire whether they will be able to
assist you in completing the Property Information Questionnaire. 

Some may well direct you to a third party or alternatively arrange for that third party (possibly a conveyancer) specialist to forward you a copy of their own Property Information Questionnaire to complete. It is preferable for your HIP provider to guide you through the PIQ rather than a third party as you will probably want to get your property on the market as soon as possible.  Introducing a third party into the process can only delay matters.  

You will need to check that your Home Information Pack provider has in-house lawyers experienced in conveyancing to assist you in completing the Property Information Questionnaire.

It may well be that if an answer in a Property Information Questionnaire proves to be inaccurate you may well be liable later on (as discrepancies show up in the conveyancing process ).  In the circumstances, it is critical that you are dealing with an expert who has appropriate insurance cover.  We strongly advise you to satisfy your self that the HIP provider is adequately insured to help you fill in the PIQ.

The Estate Agent?

Some estate agents may offer to assist you in completing the Property Information Questionnaire.  Whilst you both have vested interests in making sure that the property is marketed as soon as possible, you need to be careful about receiving expert advice because, as stated above, if you answer the questions incorrectly, you could potentially be faced with adverse legal implications.

Some estate agents will flatly refuse to assist you because by aiding in the completion of the PIQ, they leave themselves open to an investigation by the Office of Fair Trading in the event that it is proved during the conveyancing process that the information disclosed in the Property Information Questionnaire is inaccurate. 

Faced with this, an agent is exposed to potential criminal liability as well as a penalty of £5,000 for providing inaccurate information under the Property Misdescriptions Act 1991.

The Conveyancer?

Given the risk (as outlined above), you may be best advised to complete the Property Information Questionnaire with the property lawyer you intend to use for the conveyancing of you property.
 
The difficulty with this option is that it will inevitably impede the speed with which you can market your property and you may well incur significant costs as it is unlikely that a conveyancing specialist will offer this advice to you free of charge.

An Online PIQ Guidance Service?

You should check the search engines including Google and Yahoo to see which companies are offering a free PIQ online.  Ensure that the online PIQ service is not merely an online implementation of the Property Information Questionnaire. Choose a service that offers you very clear guidelines, aids you in phrasing your answers so as to negate your potential legal exposure and couches you answers so as to maximize the appeal of your property to a potential buyer.

Furthermore you should only use an online PIQ provided by a regulated law firm with conveyancing experience.