Government u-turn on home information pack welcomed

5.00.00pm BST (GMT +0100) Fri 21st Jul 2006

Liberal Democrats have welcomed the decision by the government to allow homeowners not to include a survey in their Home Information Pack (HIP) being introduced next June.

Lib Dem spokesperson for Northampton North, Andrew Simpson said: "The packs would have cost prospective sellers around £1000, which many were not prepared to pay.

"This would have led to less homes being put up for sale, compounding the problem of a shortage of supply. House prices would inevitably have been pushed up even further, despite already costing 6 times the average salary, making it even harder for first time buyers to get on the ladder."

Andrew said: "This has got to be good news for first time buyers and homeowners alike. I welcome the proposals to include an energy performance certificate, which will encourage greater efficiency."