In 2006, the Government issued the Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005, which came into force on the 1st October 2006.

ABBE is also planning to develop a Level 4 award that will target buildings that are more complex.

Homeowners who have suffered flooding may be forced to fork out for a risk assessment before they sell their properties.

Communities and Local Government Secretary Hazel Blears said she would consider calls for a "flood search" to be included in controversial Home Information Packs (HIPs).

Ms Blears said ministers are determined to minimise the trauma of flooding following the devastating June, 2007, floods in the west, south and north. About 250 homes in Leeds were damaged.

Sellers compiling a HIP for their property currently do not have to include information on flooding risk – even though one in 10 homes is being built on vulnerable land.

Ms Blears told the Commons local government select committee the impact of climate change meant potential home buyers were "increasingly" undertaking searches on flooding history and future risks

Asked whether flooding information could be included in HIPs in the future, she replied: "I think it is certainly something to consider."

"When people are making one of the biggest investment decisions in their lives, I think access to the fullest possible information is important for them."

Ms Blears suggested that only homeowners who had suffered flooding would have to commission a flood search, saying the Government did not want to impose unnecessary searches.

"We would then end up with criticism that we are asking people to pay extra for something that is not in demand."

"We need to get it right, so it's proportionate. But if a place has been flooded on separate previous occasions, then buyers need to know those circumstances."

About 2,000 homes and 1,000 businesses in Leeds city centre are at risk of flooding – and that number is set to grow as the climate changes.

Environment Agency officers are drawing up a £75m plan to protect Leeds from one-in-200-year floods by building some of the strongest defences in the country.

Mrs Beckett held the title of Labour leader for three months after the death of John Smith in 1994 Photo: REUTERS

Mrs Beckett, the former foreign secretary, was one of the biggest casualties when Gordon Brown entered No 10 last year.

When Mr Brown formed his first Cabinet last June, there was no place for Mrs Beckett. As a scant consolation, she was given the chairmanship of the parliamentary Intelligence and Security Committee.

After keeping a low profile on the backbenches, she recently began speaking out to defend Mr Brown from those Labour MPs and ministers who want him to step down.

Famous for her love of caravan holidays, Mrs Beckett held the title of Labour leader for three months after the death of John Smith in 1994, making her the only woman ever to lead the party.

She stood as a candidate to take the job permanently but was beaten by Tony Blair. She then served in his Cabinet in a number of posts including Environment Secretary.

On her appointment as Foreign Secretary in 2006, she was notoriously shocked and replied with the words: "Oh f***."

Mrs Beckett replaces Caroline Flint. Miss Flint becomes Europe Minister, with the right to attend Cabinet when European issues are discussed.

The move is a slight demotion for Miss Flint, who had previously attended all Cabinet meetings.

That may be a rebuke for her willingness to voice mild criticism of the direction the Government was taking under Mr Brown.

HIPSTAR have written to all their customers telling them of HIP HIP hooray.com’s offer of continuity putting many minds at rest and avoiding uncertainty for many Agents.

Lesley Sorridimi, who heads up HIP HIP hooray.com and was recently appointed Director of the Association of Home Information Pack Providers (AHIPP), said “With HIP HIP hooray.com’s focus on excellent Customer Service our first thought was for the chaos this could cause HIPSTAR’s customers so we stepped in to help and bought the future business.” Sorridimi went on, “This market is already difficult for Agents without the additional worry of losing their HIP providing service that they legally require.”

It is HIP HIP hooray.com’s strategy to seek out and acquire failing HIP providers like HIPSTAR and Openbook, that also ceased trading in September, as part of it’s continuing aim to carve out an even greater market share of the very competitive HIP providing industry.

Mike Ockenden, Director General of AHIPP said ‘We are delighted to welcome two such experienced people as Rob and Lesley onto the Board. They have been involved in the home buying and selling process for many years and were amongst the very first group of property experts to engage with Home Information Packs.

Lesley Sorridimi commented ‘I am pleased to join the Board of AHIPP and in particular to bring a strong contribution to the debate on condition reporting in HIPs and for home buyers and the developing role of Home Inspectors.’

Rob Hailstone who has many years experience in conveyancing said ‘I am a strong believer in the concept of HIPs and am dedicated to improving the buying and selling process by helping develop a Hip that is as “Exchange Ready” as is possible. I look forward to working with the Board to ensure that our industry grasps this opportunity with both hands.’

The intention of RICS is to monitor the introduction of the Single Survey in Scotland this December before finalising the new condition report.

Lesley Sorridimi arranged a meeting with the Chartered Institute of Loss Adjustors (CILA) to discuss the viability of Home Inspectors working with Loss Adjustors on claims such as Flood and Fire. CILA agreed that there was a natural synergy between Home Inspectors and Loss Adjustors and there are now ongoing discussions with ABBE and CILA on what level of training would be required. The meeting with CILA was following on from a meeting with the Association of British Insurers.

The Government once again won a majority vote on Home Information Packs in the House of Lords this week and Lord Graham of Edmonton stated “Undoubtedly the main weight in the original legislation was the conditions survey, which was dropped about a year ago”. This was a clear affirmation for the Home Condition Report from Government.

Sir Michael Pitt was asked by Ministers to conduct an independent review of the flooding emergency that took place in June and July 2007. The final report The Pitt Review: Lessons learned from the 2007 floods recommended that a Flood Risk Assessment should be included within the HIP. Lesley Sorridimi contacted the Pitt Review Team at cabinet office to discuss the benefits of a Home Inspector providing the Flood Risk Assessment within an HCR for the HIP which the Pitt team agreed with in principal. Lesley immediately passed this information to the Housing Minister, Caroline Flint, recommending that this was another clear step towards mandatory HCR.

The new measures include: developing a new set of standards with industry on what consumers should expect from property professionals in the home buying and selling process; further building on the quality of information in the packs; working with industry to ensure that consumers are fully seeing and benefiting from the HIP, including the EPC, early in the process; extending until the end of the year the provisions enabling consumers to market their home as long as they have ordered and committed to pay for a HIP, and the provision requiring the lease to be included in the HIP for leasehold properties.

The latest figures on HIPs show that consumers are already benefiting from the introduction of Home Information Packs. More than 700,000 homes now have energy ratings as a result of HIPs, helping home owners to save money on their fuel bills and cut carbon emissions. Greater competition in the property searches market is also leading to reductions in costs with some local authorities reducing their search fees by up to £120.

Housing Minister Caroline Flint said:

“Home Information Packs are already bringing benefits to consumers. Property search costs are falling and new information on energy efficiency can help cut carbon emissions and enable prospective purchasers to get a better idea of the likely costs of energy bills.

“But we want to do more to improve the HIP and the home buying and selling process for consumers. Developing a new set of standards for industry is an important next step in further ensuring all consumers get the highest quality of service when buying or selling a home. We also want to ensure all consumers are seeing the vital information in a HIP early in the process so they can fully benefit.”

“Alongside the development of a new industry code, we will continue to work with the industry to promote higher and consistent standards of practice on the delivery of HIPs.”

Today’s announcement includes:

• Work to develop a new set of standards for industry involving leading bodies such as the RICS, NAEA, and the Law Society. This aims to bring together best practice within the industry into a single set of standards that all consumers can expect from property professionals in the home buying and selling process, including redress arrangements, the provision of Home Information Packs and delivery of local searches.
• Work with the industry to ensure that agents and HIP providers understand and act on the requirement to prepare the HIP as soon as the EPC is produced, so that it is available to potential buyers early in the process.
• Develop in partnership with the property professionals, the means for capturing consumer friendly information for inclusion within the HIP, such as property fixtures and fittings, access and boundaries. This will draw on the lessons learned from our Area Trials.

Consumers were satisfied with the Home Information Pack (HIP) and are starting to use energy ratings to make their homes greener, according to early testing of HIPs.

Results from research by Ipsos MORI into the HIP area trials reveal that 72 per cent of sellers were satisfied with the HIP, 79 per cent agreed that it contained everything expected, and 81 per cent understood the documents, including their energy rating, from A-G, in the Energy Performance Certificate (EPC).

Nearly one third of buyers on examining the HIP planned to carry out recommendations in the EPC to improve the energy efficiency of their home. This would equate to nearly half a million transactions per year in today's housing market where consumers took action as a result of the EPC to cut fuel bills and carbon emissions.

The research report highlights that 58 per cent of buyers would have liked the opportunity to see the HIP earlier in the process. However, agents were either not showing the packs or providing them too late to consumers to make a difference, according to the findings. Out of the 40 per cent of buyers who saw the HIP last year in the trials, half viewed it after they made an offer on their property.

The Government has already taken action to raise awareness of HIPs and to remind agents of their responsibility to make sure it is readily available so more people fully benefit from the packs. This includes a public information campaign and specific activity aimed at the industry, including more than 20,000 agents.

Consumers can only benefit if they see the pack. We know the appetite is there because nearly 60 per cent of buyers wanted to see their HIP earlier and 32 per cent planned to take action on examining the EPC - it is important agents respond to this.

Housing Minister Caroline Flint said:
“Consumers are already benefiting from the introduction of HIPs. Search costs are falling as a result of increased transparency in the market, energy ratings can help people to reduce fuel bills, and first time buyers are receiving important information about their home for free.

"I welcome the fact that buyers are starting to act on their energy ratings, which could cut a million tonnes of carbon a year as well as helping families with their fuel costs.

"However, what is clear from the trials is that more buyers wanted to see the HIP but it was not always made available to them. That's why we have taken action to increase awareness of the consumers' right to see a HIP and to remind agents of their responsibility to provide the pack.”

The Government has responded to emerging findings throughout the research period which tested around 2,600 HIPs, to help develop the packs and to ensure a smooth implementation into the market. This includes decisions to introduce a first day marketing exemption, temporary measures on leasehold information, and work with industry to make sure packs are being made available to consumers.

Early monitoring shows implementation of HIPs has gone smoothly.

• The average cost of a HIP is between £300 and £350, costs which apart from the EPC are already part of the home buying and selling process.
• The majority of HIPs are being provided within 14 working days.
• More than 370,000 HIPs have now been prepared.

Consumers buying new homes will additionally benefit from the mandatory inclusion of a rating against the Code for Sustainable Homes in the HIP from May 1, which will add significantly to the environmental performance information in the pack.

To help continue the smooth implementation of the packs into the market, the Government is extending the use of insurance cover where property search data is unavailable, from 31 March to 31 December 2008. The Government is currently consulting on new guidance on access and charging to help ensure a level playing field in the delivery of good quality searches at competitive prices.

Notes to editors

1. The Area Trials took place between November 06 and April 07. They were established to test, adapt and refine the processes involved in producing a HIP, to help ensure a smooth implementation. The trials were conducted in 8 areas: Bath, Newcastle, Southampton, Northampton, Huddersfield & Cambridge, Southwark and North West Wales. Ipsos MORI were commissioned to undertake research into the HIP to track the sale process and monitor perceptions. The final phase of the trial research, which involved interviews with buyers following completed transactions, was carried out in December 07.

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The publication of the results of the Government’s area trials clearly show that consumers believe the new home buying and selling process is much improved with 72% of consumers being fairly or very satisfied with Home Information Packs (HIPs).

The results evidence a 10% reduction in the time taken to reach exchange of contracts reducing the stress incurred during this period of great uncertainty and allowing consumers to plan their move with greater confidence. One of the key objectives of HIPs is to speed up the process and clearly this is being achieved.

The 7% of consumers that said HIPs have helped them in making the decision whether to buy or not appears low. However the Government figures show that in many cases buyers did not see the HIP so the real figure is far higher, perhaps more like 17%. There is no doubt that this will be a vital factor in reducing transaction failure, one of the other key objectives of the implementation of HIPs.

Commenting on the results, Paul Broadhead, Deputy Director General AHIPP said: "These results show that even some months ahead of the implementation of HIPs across the country, consumers in a number of locations were already seeing the benefits of the new process. What is also clear is that property professionals did not engage fully with the process and many consumers did not see the HIP on their property. Had they done so the results would surely have been even better. Clearly where buyers were shown the packs they liked what they saw and understood the content.

I would now call on all those parties serving home buyers and sellers to work positively with HIPs, ensuring that they are shown and explained to consumers. If everyone engages fully in the process HIPs will help consumers move home with less stress, less wasted cost and greater certainty."

Home Information Packs (HIPs) are definitely helping to speed up the homebuying process, according to the Connells Group's latest findings.

HIPs have taken a lot of flak for their part in the housing market slowdown, criticism which could be largely unfounded according the Group's executive chairman, Stephen Shipperley.

Shipperley believes that there is clear evidence to suggest the Packs are helping buyers and sellers move more quickly by identifying any potential issues early.

"There’s no doubt that having a HIP available up-front helps speed things up. Local Authority searches can sometimes take weeks, so by having the information early means the conveyancing process can begin straightaway.

"More importantly, if the buyer drops out the next buyer doesn't have to start the process all over again, which can save months."

One particular case dealt with by the business involved a buyer looking for a quick sale who had been encouraged to view a property on the grounds that it already had a HIP.

She said: "We wanted a quick move and having to wait for all the searches takes time. Having gone through buying a house where everything went through so smoothly I think HIPs work."

"Having a HIP and an estate agent who kept me informed made my move happen very quickly and I am very happy with how it went."

Shipperley concluded: "Customers have been pleasantly surprised at how helpful HIPs are. We know that some estate agents and solicitors are still resisting HIPs, but we took part in early Government trials to ensure that from day one our branches, dedicated law firms, energy assessors and HIPs suppliers are working together to process transactions more quickly."

"The Government is convinced of the benefits of the Home Condition Report (HCR), and strongly encourages sellers to include one in their Pack. The Department for Communities and Local Government is working with industry to promote and find solutions to increase the uptake of the HCR on a market-led basis." direct quote from Communities and Local Government, February 2008

A Home Condition Report is designed to be a 'mid-range' survey, similar to the current Homebuyer Survey and Valuation - not as detailed as a Building Survey (sometimes known as a 'full structural survey') but a lot more extensive than a mortgage lender's valuation inspection.

With many property experts predicting a fall in prices, the NARHI is claiming the disparity in the amount of buyers and sellers will make selling a property more difficult.

Consequently, any problems discovered in a property during the completion of a sale will mean that buyers will look elsewhere. Therefore, the NARHI is advising buyers to secure a HCR to avoid this.

With prior warning of any problems in their home, vendors can investigate the exact cause of any problem and source quotes to put it right before a buyer gets seriously interested say the NARHI.

As a buyer, a Home Condition Report will show you the actual condition of the property, so you can make a more informed offer. It will also help you avoid any unexpected bills once you do move.

As a seller, the report will help you market your home, since you can decide on a realistic asking price, or choose to have any work done before selling.

Advertising a HCR will be a powerful incentive to purchase, concluded the organisation.

Yvette Cooper has taken up the new post of chief secretary to the Treasury. The changes come as part of a reshuffle of Government posts triggered by the resignation of work and pensions secretary Peter Hain.

British Property Federation chief executive, Liz Peace, paid tribute to the work of Ms Cooper and said we are sorry to see Yvette Cooper move on at such a crucial time for the industry. She has shown a great willingness to work with the industry and we hope the two major bills going through Parliament will not be affected. Her experience in dealing with communities will however, prove an invaluable insight for the Treasury.

Ms Flint has been Minister of State for Employment and Welfare Reform since June 2007. Commentating on Ms Flint’s new role, Liz Peace said Caroline Flint has a varied background which has taken in many areas of policy and we very much look forward to working with her.

Ms Flint, who is the MP for Don Valley, has previously been a junior minister in the Department of Health and the Home Office.

Home Information Packs (Hips) have helped to ensure that people putting their houses on the market are truly willing to sell and has reduced speculative marketing, according to AA Legal Services.

Since last month, every house which is put onto the market needs to have a Hip and the AA say that this will be beneficial to the market.

James Molloy, product manager for AA Legal Services, said: "Hips naturally focus the mind of the seller before marketing their property. We hope that now only those who have a genuine, considered desire to sell their property enter the market at the front end, and Hips have undoubtedly reduced speculative marketing."

He added that a lack of commitment by some sellers in the pre Hips era contributed to an "unacceptable level of aborted transactions".

Included in the Hips is information such as a sale statement, local searches and evidence of title.

What effect has the introduction of home information packs (Hips) had on the housing market, and will their impact grow or diminish in the coming months?

The Commons select committee for communities and local government thinks Yvette Cooper, the housing minister, should have ignored the critics and included the all-important home-condition reports in the packs, as well as sticking to the original plan to introduce them for all properties last June. Had she done so, Hips would have been in place ahead of the credit crisis-induced downturn in the market.

Hips are, in theory, hard to argue against. Markets are less efficient when buyers and sellers are not in possession of the same information.

The practical problem with Hips is that, in excluding home-condition reports, they leave out the most vital information of all. The other potential benefit – economies of scale, because buyers will no longer have to pay for their own surveys – is lost.

How much, despite the criticism, have Hips helped the housing market in recent months by limiting the number of properties that have come on sale? Their introduction is a plausible explanation for at least part of the lack of supply, though it probably pales into insignificance compared with a reluctance by sellers to put their properties on the market at a time when prices have been soft. It may be that those who rushed to do so ahead of the deadlines for Hip introduction have seen their houses adding to the stock of unsold properties on agents’ books, or have had to accept price cuts. In time, Hips’ effect on supply should be minimal, though they may limit “price testing” by people who have no serious intention of selling.