HIP replacements cleared into law

Provisions of the Housing Bill voted through by the Lords yesterday mean people putting properties up for sale will need to spend between £500 to £1,000 on sellers packs containing searches, surveys and a home condition report. Lords initially voted to make the packs voluntary, but Commons MPs overturned that by a majority vote of 292 to 148. Lord Rooker, minister in the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister said a compulsory a pilot scheme would be run alongside a voluntary scheme in the six-month period before launch of the compulsory scheme in 2007. Rooker said: “Key stakeholders ...