Everything about Home Information Packs (HIPS)

The Conservative party plans to pressurise the government into halting the introduction of home information packs (Hips).

You don't need property price indices to see that the house-selling market is hotting up. All around Britain you can hear the screams of anguish from buyers and sellers alike as they undergo the torture of dealing with unscrupulous estate agents and recalcitrant solicitors.

Will the long-awaited home information pack clean up the house buying process? They come into force in June 2007, but critics say the new breed of home inspectors will only make matters worse.

Home information packs will put families looking to sell their houses at risk from "cowboy" inspectors, it has been claimed. The planned change to the way houses are bought and sold will provide "a breeding ground" for unqualified surveyors, critics said. Inspectors will compile £350 "home condition reports" for the packs.