Home sellers no longer need to buy a HIPS before putting their property on the market.

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The much disliked home information packs (HIPS) that have to be put together by residential property sellers will be scrapped by the new government – but energy certificates have to stay under EC law.

The move is part of the Con-Dem coalition agreement, but no date has been put on the demise of HIPS.

The government has two options, either delegating power to the new housing minister, who can cancel HIPS legislation if Parliament is not sitting, or wait and include the measure in the emergency budget.

Consigning HIPS in to the dustbin of cancelled Labour legislation will save home sellers from £250 and speed up the time for a property to reach the market.

Almost a third of Birmingham estate agents provide unsatisfactory home information packs according to a survey by the city’s trading standards officers.

The most common faults included: no information provided on the complaint or redress procedure; no consumer information; no company contact details; technical issues with the search; and HIP index-related issues.

Sellers must buy a HIPS pack for a property before estate agents are allowed to put the home on the market.

Results of the study carried out at the end of last year revealed that, of the 37 packs examined, 70% were rated satisfactory or reasonably satisfactory, and 30% rated unsatisfactory when measured against the HIP regulations.

The survey set out to test approximately 25% of the estate agent market within the Birmingham boundary.

Conducted in conjunction with independent regulator the Property Codes Compliance Board (PCCB), it was the most comprehensive estate agent and HIP enforcement exercise carried out since the introduction of the sellers packs in 2007.

PCCB chairman Richard Footitt said: ‘This exercise gives a timely and reliable insight into the current level of compliance within the industry, and should serve as a warning both to estate agents and HIP providers that they must comply with the law and regulations.’