Conveyancing Online and Conveyancing News http://www.conveyancing-0800.co.uk http://www.conveyancing-0800.co.uk/news/tory_motion_to_revoke_hips_order11102007.html David Cameron, leader of the Conservative Party, submitted a motion to revoke the Order dealing with Home Information Packs earlier this week. The motion, lodged on Tuesday, currently has the support of six other members and requests HIPs to be withdrawn and energy performance certificates to be implemented separately. http://www.conveyancing-0800.co.uk/news/tory_motion_to_revoke_hips_order11102007.html http://www.conveyancing-0800.co.uk/news/further_tory_bid_to_write_off_hips01102007.html The shadow housing minister, Grant Shapps, was treated to a standing ovation at the Conservative party conference last week on announcing that the next Conservative government would get rid of HIPs. He said, "The experts ridiculed them. The industry doesn't want them. The market doesn't need them. And I can pledge to you...the next Conservative government will scrap them." http://www.conveyancing-0800.co.uk/news/further_tory_bid_to_write_off_hips01102007.html http://www.conveyancing-0800.co.uk/news/land_prices_on_the_increase28092007.html During the first half of this year, the cost of farmland has rocketed because of the increased demand for land by investors and farmers. The Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors has that the price of land has risen by almost a quarter in the fist six months of 2007 pushing the price of a hectare of land to an average of £8,850. Big bonuses issued to city slickers has continued drive up the cost of land together with competition from foreign farmers wishing to purchase land to take advantage of the low prices in Britain. A spokesperson for RICS, Sue Steer, said, "Rising commodity prices and increased interest in bio fuels have resulted in a bit of a feeding frenzy for farmland as farmers compete with investors, foreign farmers and lifestyle buyers for properties. The market is being fuelled by city buyers trying to make the most of low farmland prices, and large bonuses are entrenching these 'move to the country' trends. Farmers from Denmark and Ireland are also becoming more visible as they buy up competitively priced land in the UK." http://www.conveyancing-0800.co.uk/news/land_prices_on_the_increase28092007.html http://www.conveyancing-0800.co.uk/news/hips_implementation_a_farce23082007.html The Association of Home Information Pack Providers (AHIPP) has branded the implementation of HIPs a farce. A damning statement in light of the problems the government have already faced over the implementation of the HIPs. During an interview with Channel 4 News the deputy director general of AHIPP, Paul Broadhead, said ?It has been a bit of a farce the whole implementation of HIPs.? His comments are not too surprising following the decision by several lenders, of which Barclay and HSBC are two, who revealed yesterday that they will not accept personal searches as part of Home Information Packs unless they were certified by a conveyancer or solicitor and in addition, the Law Society has stated that solicitors refuse to take responsibility for approving personal searches. The vice president of the Law Society, Paul Marsh, says ?The difference between a bank and a solicitor is that we are not in the business of underwriting risk, we are in the business of giving advice. Why on earth should a solicitor, who is not being paid by the lender, take this risk?? He further added ?The buyer still has to go through all sorts of loops to make sure they are satisfied and that?s why HIPs were never really going to work, because the onus is on the seller.? However Broadhead, during his interview, denied there is any problem with these searches and further urges consumers to choose lenders who do not require additional local authority searches are performed, saying ?If consumers are going to go to a lender that insists they pay a further £200 to £300, that is their choice, but personally I?d go to a lender that does accept personal searches. The whole thing has been coloured by the mismanagement the government had in actually getting HIPs into the marketplace.? http://www.conveyancing-0800.co.uk/news/hips_implementation_a_farce23082007.html http://www.conveyancing-0800.co.uk/news/hips_rollout_not_supported_by_rics20082007.html The Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors has criticised the government?s decision to extend the use of Home Information Packs on homes with three bedrooms performing a market impact study. It has stated that early indications suggest there are fewer four-bedroom properties coming for sale since HIPs were rolled out on August 1, directly affecting these properties. A spokesman for RICS says: "We find it hard to believe that the government is pressing ahead with this policy at such short notice without first conducting a proper market impact study. Preliminary reports suggest a substantial reduction in the number of four bedroom properties coming onto the market. The government has no idea how this will affect the housing market. It has yet to publish the findings from last year's flawed ?dry run' exercise, where the packs were handed out for free. Perhaps the results were not to its liking." http://www.conveyancing-0800.co.uk/news/hips_rollout_not_supported_by_rics20082007.html http://www.conveyancing-0800.co.uk/news/three_bed_properties_covered_by_hips17082007.html The Government has announced the commencement date for the mandatory inclusion of three bedroom properties that will be affected by home information packs from 10 September. This inclusion follows speculation of the Governments intention to roll the scheme out to all residential properties, a move which would meet with the HIP providers approval. Sales and marketing director at Easier2move, Karen Babington, said ?We are delighted that the Government has decided to push ahead with the introduction of HIPs on three-bedroom properties. We have seen the smooth implementation of HIPS for four-bedroom properties." http://www.conveyancing-0800.co.uk/news/three_bed_properties_covered_by_hips17082007.html http://www.conveyancing-0800.co.uk/news/home_information_packs_are_official01082007.html The governments highly disputed and controversial home information pack initiative has been officially launched today; applying only to four bedroomed, or more, properties in the first instance. The initiative had been scheduled to go live June 1st but was postponed due to a lack of qualified domestic energy assessors. The scheme is set to be rolled out to three bedroomed properties and then to the rest of the market. The director general of the Association of Home Information Pack Providers, Mike Ockenden, said, ?The key message that appears to have been lost over the last year is that HIPs are a good thing ? they are not here to ?plunge the market into chaos? as mischief makers would have us believe, but instead they are here to help improve the house buying and selling process for all involved ? bringing vital information to the front of the process that, in the long term, will save consumers money as well as aiding a faster and more transparent process.? http://www.conveyancing-0800.co.uk/news/home_information_packs_are_official01082007.html http://www.conveyancing-0800.co.uk/news/government_provides_definition_of_fourbedroom_properties23072007.html Following the failure in May to bring in Home Information Packs as previously planned by the Government, housing minister Yvette Cooper revealed that HIPs would be phased in from August 1st starting with properties that had four bedrooms or more. This sparked criticism from the industry and the opposition over what defines a four-bedroom property and so the Government has now duly responded. A four bedroomed property is one that is marketed and sold as having four bedrooms. It has been claimed that sellers of four-bedroom properties would evade HIPs by marketing their homes as having three bedrooms and one study. This question was posed by Labour peer Lord Bradley in the House of Lords earlier this month, ?What is the definition of a bedroom and a study in a residential property in relation to HIPs?? The Parliamentary under-secretary of state for the Department for Communities and Local Government, Baroness Andrews, says, ?A four-bedroom dwelling is one that is marketed and sold as having four bedrooms.? http://www.conveyancing-0800.co.uk/news/government_provides_definition_of_fourbedroom_properties23072007.html http://www.conveyancing-0800.co.uk/news/hips_delay_hits_energy_assessors29052007.html Energy-assessors.com, which had hopes of becoming the UKs largest provider of Energy Performance Certificates, yesterday announced that the Governments HIPs delay had forced the cancellation of contracts for over 100 prospective energy assessors Stephen Callaghan, a director of the company, said market reaction to Ruth Kelly?s last minute announcement had forced the decision. HIPs providers contacted Energy-assessors.com and said that there were unsure that contracts would still hold following the 2month delay. The company had hoped to have at least 300 energy assessors in employment by the original June 1st introduction date. Prospective assessors were told the news and said that they were shocked by the decision and had no idea what they were going to do next. http://www.conveyancing-0800.co.uk/news/hips_delay_hits_energy_assessors29052007.html http://www.conveyancing-0800.co.uk/news/four_bedrooms_become_three_to_avoid_hips29052007.html The Governments postponement of the Home Information Pack scheme, for all homes except those with four bedrooms or more, could lead to a further shortage of inspectors and to sellers bending the rules, warned Estate Agents. Estate Agents have said that they may recommend to sellers of four bedroom properties that they market their homes as three bedrooms with a study, to avoid paying for the costly home pack and to save time hunting down an elusive home inspector. Hugh Grover, of a London based estate agents, said, ?The whole thing is a fiasco. The obvious response is to designate one bedroom as a reception room. Or people could just call them 'rooms' and leave it to the buyer how it's used." This approach is perfectly legal too and could incur no comeback under the Property Misdescriptions Act, as under planning law it is a matter of whether the rooms are habitable, not whether or not they are bedrooms. Problems would only occur if four bedroomed homes were marketed as five bedrooms. David Marsden, head of the property department at Matthew Arnold and Baldwin, said, ?There is no official definition of a bedroom. We will start seeing three-bedroom houses advertised with a dining room on the first floor and an upstairs lounge - and 'oh dear, we just seem to be storing a bed in there'. Some poor civil servant will be in charge of redrawing the regulations on what constitutes a four-bedroom house, but it may be a long while before we know." http://www.conveyancing-0800.co.uk/news/four_bedrooms_become_three_to_avoid_hips29052007.html http://www.conveyancing-0800.co.uk/news/government_delays_hips_until_august23052007.html Communities secretary Ruth Kelly announced in the Commons yesterday that introduction of the Home Information Packs and Energy Performance Certificates have been delayed. Implementation of the packs will now take place from August 1st, instead of 1st June. The Government also announced that an agreement had been reached with the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors (RICS) regarding their judicial review of the scheme. The Judge considering the review issued an order stating that EPCs should not be included in the packs from June 1st until the court had made full consideration of the RICs application. As the Government considered it impractical to delay the EPCs in this way without the accompaniment of Hips, implementation was revised. HIPs are now to be introduced on a phased basis for August 1st, beginning with properties with 4 or more bedrooms only, as the Government have said these are the most energy efficient homes. The Government has now also admitted that it is lacking the required number of trained energy assessors and as such smaller homes are to be phased into the scheme as soon as there are enough assessors to do the job. Ruth Kelly said, ?The approach we have set-out preserves the principles of HIPs and EPCs, while ensuring a transition period for the people buying and selling their property. Most importantly, it provides an opportunity to make real progress towards cutting carbon emissions from our homes.? Other changes made included allowing people to market their properties as soon as a pack has been commissioned rather than when one is received and also allowing EPCs to be up to 12 months old when the property is put up for sale. The Government has also asked councils and registered social landlords to work with them on introducing EPCs in social hosing on a voluntary basis. http://www.conveyancing-0800.co.uk/news/government_delays_hips_until_august23052007.html http://www.conveyancing-0800.co.uk/news/884000_properties_on_the_market_in_the_countdown_to_hips22052007.html A report compiled by property information provider Spring has found that 884,000 homeowners have put their homes on the market over the past 3 months, in order to beat the introduction of HIPs. HIPs are set to become a compulsory requirement on June 1st, and property experts are currently estimating that the packs may cost upwards of £500 depending on the content. The packs must include an Energy Performance Certificate and other documents such as title deeds and searches. Spring warns that this sudden influx of homes on the market could cause property prices to inflate. Springs CEO, Stephen Foden says, "We believe that many of the people who have recently put their homes on the market were planning to sell later on in the year and they are only marketing them now to avoid paying for a HIP. This means that they are far more likely to inflate their asking price and are also more prepared to hold out for this because they are not necessarily in a hurry to sell. We are not surprised that so many people have put their properties on the market before 1st June. HIPs will add hundreds of pounds to the cost of selling a property and many estate agents have been working hard to try and persuade owners to market their homes before their introduction." http://www.conveyancing-0800.co.uk/news/884000_properties_on_the_market_in_the_countdown_to_hips22052007.html http://www.conveyancing-0800.co.uk/news/hips_will_benefit_first_time_buyers18052007.html The forthcoming, and much debated, Home Information Packs will save money for first time buyers by transferring costs to the sellers says the Chartered Institute of Housing. Home Information Packs transfer the costs of surveys and searches to the sellers, who the CIH say are in a better position to afford the costs, leaving struggling first-time buyers with more money to put towards a deposit or other home costs. HIPs are also a method of protection for first time buyers, as they make them aware of the risks and complex processes involved in home buying, highlighting any defects and giving them a clear picture as to what they are buying. Sarah Webb, CIH Deputy Chief Executive commented by saying, "We support any measures that make the costs and risks of home ownership more bearable. Apart from the up-front costs of surveys and searches that are difficult for first-time buyers to shoulder, there is a real need for homebuyers to know exactly what they are signing up to.? http://www.conveyancing-0800.co.uk/news/hips_will_benefit_first_time_buyers18052007.html http://www.conveyancing-0800.co.uk/news/hips_approved_in_mp_vote_18052007.html MPs in the House of Commons on Wednesday rejected a motion to scrap Home Information Packs (HIPs). The vote had been forced by the Conservative party in an effort to derail the proposed policy before it comes into force on June 1st, but MPs again supported the pack. The Government won the vote with 306 votes to 234, a majority of 72. The government claims that the home packs will reduce the number of property sales that fall through, as well as encouraging homeowners to make their properties more energy efficient. Ahead of the Commons debate Jeremy Leaf of the RICS criticised the scheme saying, ?HIPs are a potentially damaging and chaotic policy. The introduction will have few benefits to the consumer and adversely affect the housing market and the wider economy." The RICS is pursuing legal action against the Department for Communities and Local Government, claiming that there was no ?proper consultations? before the implementation of HIPs legislation. Alan Dring, sales director of Econveyancer, commented on the vote by saying, ?Parliament has now voted to introduce Home Information Packs and the time for debate and procrastination has therefore come to an end. It would now be far more productive if everyone in the industry took a positive look at how they are going to make HIPs work to the advantage of their customers and their businesses, rather than expend further energy objecting to their introduction.? HIPs will be discussed again on May 22nd in the House of Lords debate. http://www.conveyancing-0800.co.uk/news/hips_approved_in_mp_vote_18052007.html http://www.conveyancing-0800.co.uk/news/mps_to_vote_against_hips15052007.html Home Information Packs (HIPs) are set to be introduced by the Government as a legal requirement for sellers on June 1st, but this could change as MPs have been given the chance to vote against the packs tomorrow on May 16th. The Conservative Party, following a shameful report by the House of Lords Select Committee two weeks ago, has forced the vote. Property experts across England and Wales have expressed their opposition to the proposed scheme and many will be hoping that MPs vote down the pack. Gordon Brown has refused to comment on the future of HIPs and many are now speculating that the Chancellor may give the pack the thumbs down, allowing Labour MPs to vote against it. Paul Broadhead of the Association of Home Information Pack Providers has commented by saying, ?If the Commons vote goes against the new HIP regulations it is essentially back to the drawing board for the Energy Performance Certificate, with no other existing regulations currently in place to ensure the imminent implementation of this vital reform. If the EPC is not delivered through HIPs, it is unclear how it will be delivered, if at all, over the coming year. This week?s vote in the Commons will not just impact the future of HIPs but the future of the EPC and our environment - the climate change agenda cannot wait, or be made to suffer as a result of political game playing." http://www.conveyancing-0800.co.uk/news/mps_to_vote_against_hips15052007.html http://www.conveyancing-0800.co.uk/news/hips_could_eliminate_seller_groups15052007.html Recent research by the National Association of Estate Agents found that 1 in 5 homeowners would put their house up for sale if their neighbours were getting a good price on their properties. Estate Agents across the country have found that sellers who want to ?see what happens? make up a significant sector of the UK property market, as knowing the going rate for a home on the same street can be a great motivation in deciding whether to put a property up for sale. The NAEA warned that the introduction of Home Information Packs on June 1st could eliminate this group of sellers, as it would cost them around £500 to test the market. This may have an overall effect on the property market, which isn?t good news at a time when housing stock is already declining across the country. Peter Bolton King of the NAEA has said, ?A significant number of property sales start with a seller 'testing the water'. The inability to do this without paying £500 for a HIP is likely to put many people off. This will reduce the supply of houses available, cause the market to slow down and lead to additional house price inflation, affecting the economy.? http://www.conveyancing-0800.co.uk/news/hips_could_eliminate_seller_groups15052007.html http://www.conveyancing-0800.co.uk/news/inspector_numbers_are_sufficient_says_ahipp15052007.html The Association of Home Information Pack Providers (AHIPP) has performed a survey of 10 of the UKs training centres for home inspectors and energy assessors and has revealed that by June 1st there will be more than 3,500 qualified workers. Director general, Mike Ockenden said, ?The training and assessment centres have told AHIPP that there will be at least 1,130 Home Inspectors and over 2,400 Domestic Energy Assessors ready to undertake inspections for June.? However the survey did not include in its research numbers from the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors training centre, which will increase these figures even further. Mr Ockenden went on to conclude, ?With the number of DEAs qualifying the Government should seriously consider bringing forward the introduction of Energy Performance Certificates for rented properties and social housing.? http://www.conveyancing-0800.co.uk/news/inspector_numbers_are_sufficient_says_ahipp15052007.html http://www.conveyancing-0800.co.uk/news/hips_will_reduce_moving_stress15052007.html It is being claimed that the introduction of Home Information Packs on June 1st will reduce the stress of moving house for mortgage holders. Director of the Association of Home Information Pack Providers, Mick Ockenden, made the claim following recent research carried out by Your Move. The research found that 1 in 3 people are less productive at work due to the stress of moving home and that if each of these employees had a 10% reduction in productivity, this would cost the economy almost £500 million a year. Mr Ockenden went on to say, ?Hips will definitely have the benefit of reducing home buyer and seller stress levels in the UK and this could potentially translate into a huge benefit.? http://www.conveyancing-0800.co.uk/news/hips_will_reduce_moving_stress15052007.html http://www.conveyancing-0800.co.uk/news/property_prices_continue_to_rise_despite_panic_over_hips15052007.html The Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors report continued rises in the prices of UK property despite increased supply caused by the HIPs panic. Sellers are rushing to put their homes on the market before the possible introduction of the Home Information Pack on June 1st to avoid having to pay the cost of putting the pack together. Sale instructions rose for the second month in a row following a 7-year decline, which experts attribute to the forthcoming HIPs rather than to household financial decline. Ian Perry, a spokesman for the RICS, says, "The fear of paying the upfront buying costs of HIPS has pushed more property onto the market. This will continue throughout May but conditions should tighten if HIPS goes ahead on June 1st as sellers withdraw from the market." http://www.conveyancing-0800.co.uk/news/property_prices_continue_to_rise_despite_panic_over_hips15052007.html http://www.conveyancing-0800.co.uk/news/lords_stalling_on_home_improvement_packs02052007.html Concerns regarding the intended Home Improvement Packs were raised yesterday during a debate in the House of Lords by the Council of Mortgage Lenders, the Law Society, the National Association of Estate Agents, the Royal Institute of Chartered Surveyors and Which magazine. It also heard rebuttal arguments from the Department of Communities and Local Government. The House of Lords has noted that the benefits of HIPs have not been clearly explained to the housing industry and the government has failed in its duties.Concerns centred on the decision to make Home Condition Reports voluntary, while making Energy Performance Certificates mandatory. The Department of Communities and Local Government argued that during their studies they found that the HCR was not a primary concern of the public, while a regular EPC, which goes beyond European legislation, was something that the British public wanted. The Lords were not convinced by the government?s argument. The report says: ?We cannot but conclude that the government have not been able to convince the principal stakeholders in the housing market that their proposals as they now stand are sensible or worthwhile, or are likely to be effective for their declared purposes; and that they need to do more if the market is to respond positively to this intervention.? Baroness Hanham, the Conservative representative for local governments, has as a result of these findings, filed an amendment for debate in the Lords concerning Home Information Packs. http://www.conveyancing-0800.co.uk/news/lords_stalling_on_home_improvement_packs02052007.html http://www.conveyancing-0800.co.uk/news/home_information_pack_survey_reveals_confusion01052007.html In a survey conducted by propertyfinder.com, it was revealed that whilst most buyers and sellers had heard of HIPs, just over a quarter actually knew what the acronym meant. And does it really matter if do not actually know what the abbreviation stands for as long as we understand what the product is for? However, the survey found there was general confusion over what will be in a HIP. Most people were correct in their knowledge of an energy performance certificate, but a staggering amount of buyers, less than half, expected evidence of title or a search, the two key legal documents in the pack. Warren Bright, chief executive of propertyfinder.com said: ?The level of ignorance in the general public is astonishing given the publicity HIPs have had over the last year, but at least most buyers and sellers have heard of them, even though they have little clue of what will actually be in the pack.? http://www.conveyancing-0800.co.uk/news/home_information_pack_survey_reveals_confusion01052007.html http://www.conveyancing-0800.co.uk/news/asking_prices_soar_as_hips_approach_30042007.html Research by online estate agent Rightmove has found that the average price of properties which went on the market in April were almost £8,500 higher than those in March. Rightmove believes that the recent increases are a result of unique market conditions. Such marketing conditions include: · Traditional Easter leap in house prices · Shortage of supply · High demand · Mortgage lenders trying to accommodate buyers · And the introduction of home information packs (HIPs) on June 1st All homes put on the market after 1st June will have to have a HIP. These packs have been estimated to cost several hundred pounds. So, homeowners are being urged to put there home on the market before the deadline to avoid paying the price of the pack. Once on the market, homes can stay for sale until November until a HIP is required. Rightmoves Miles Shipside says, ?The early indications are that the spring timing of the run in to Hips implementation, combined with the current market conditions, will lead to a distortion of traditional market forces over the coming months." http://www.conveyancing-0800.co.uk/news/asking_prices_soar_as_hips_approach_30042007.html http://www.conveyancing-0800.co.uk/news/property_industry_attacks_free_hips_offer30042007.html Plans by estate agents Hamptons International and supermarket Asda to offer free Home Information Packs (HIPs) have been attacked by the property industry as being risky, as it still uncertain as to how much HIPs will cost. The average price of a pack has been estimated at between £300 and £500, rising to £700 if a non-compulsory home condition report is included. The pair has said that they will offer the packs for free following June 1st, when HIPs will become compulsory for all sellers. Asda plans to run a 6-month trial in England?s Northeast called Homes@Supermarkets, part of its move into the property market. Hamptons International will offer customers who sell their homes with them a free HIP, so long as their property is kept on the market for at least 12 months. The Conservatives and Liberal Democrats say they will attempt to block the introduction of HIPs when the House of Lords deliver its report on Thursday. The National Association of Estate Agents, the Council of Mortgage Lenders and the Royal Institute of Chartered Surveyors, have also called for the introduction of the HIP to be postponed until pilot schemes can be analysed. http://www.conveyancing-0800.co.uk/news/property_industry_attacks_free_hips_offer30042007.html http://www.conveyancing-0800.co.uk/news/cost_of_moving_hit_by_stamp_duty_taxes_30042007.html According to Property Finder the price of moving home has almost trebled over the last decade with average moving cost now around £10,000. Property Finder found that homeowners were spending: · About £5,009 in stamp duty · Estate agent fees of £3,027 · £1,000 paid out to solicitors for the conveyance of the property · £450 to removals firms Increasing costs are a result of our ever-rising house prices and a shortage of available properties, particularly at the lower end of the property market. Chief executive of Property Finder, Warren Bright says, ?The high cost of moving home has definitely contributed to the current supply shortage in the housing market. In the past, when costs were low, there was little to prevent people from making a number of small steps up the housing ladder.? Stamp duty accounts for more than half of all moving costs on the average UK property and has risen to almost £8 billion over the last decade. However, Gordon Brown ignored calls to reform the tax in this years Budget. http://www.conveyancing-0800.co.uk/news/cost_of_moving_hit_by_stamp_duty_taxes_30042007.html http://www.conveyancing-0800.co.uk/news/zerocarbon_flats_bid_to_beat_stamp_duty30042007.html A block of North London flats could be the first in the country to benefit from Gordon Browns promise to exempt zero-carbon homes from stamp duty. The eight planned apartments will be almost energy self-sufficient so they do not boost carbon emissions that cause global warming. The properties in Highgate will have roof solar panels and a wood chipping fired boiler. Architect Matthew Hoade said, ?This is something that is very considerate to the local environment. It does not look overtly modern with acres of glass, and it keeps some more traditional aspects.? However, there are no wind turbines as trees surround the area so there would not be enough wind to make them viable. Their expected market price is between £400,000 and £800,000. Under the Mr Browns plan, zero-carbon homes worth up to £500,000 would not be liable for stamp duty. http://www.conveyancing-0800.co.uk/news/zerocarbon_flats_bid_to_beat_stamp_duty30042007.html http://www.conveyancing-0800.co.uk/news/498000_less_property_sales_with_stamp_duty_changes30042007.html Since he has been Chancellor, Gordon Browns changes to stamp duty have meant that half a million fewer people in the UK have moved home. According to research from Cebr, the amount of money raised by stamp duty tax has increased from £675 million to around £7 billion since 1997. Cebr research has also found that the stamp duty changes have resulted in the number of property sales falling by 498,000 over the decade. The Labour government introduced higher bands for stamp duty when it came to power - seeing the tax double to 2% of the value of more expensive homes initially. This rose again to 3% in 1998 and 4% in 2000. However, with rising house prices in the UK more and more properties were becoming liable to pay stamp duty and some at the higher thresholds. While Mr Brown has increased the lower threshold for stamp duty to be charged from 60,000 to £125,000 since Labour came to office, the higher thresholds at £250,000 and £500,000 have remained unchanged. Cebr believes that this action has distorted the UK property market. Chief Executive Douglas McWilliams says, ?If you tax something, it normally affects people's behaviour and so housing transactions have run consistently below their levels during the 1980s housing upturn." Cebr argues that stamp duty has contributed to the lack of supply on the UK market by pushing up house prices and heavy tax burdens have caused homeowners to be unwilling to put their homes on the market. http://www.conveyancing-0800.co.uk/news/498000_less_property_sales_with_stamp_duty_changes30042007.html http://www.conveyancing-0800.co.uk/news/lords_consider_home_information_packs27042007.html Opposition parties are preparing themselves for a final assault on the Home Information Packs in a bid force a delay on implementation when the policy goes to the House of Lords next week. Normally the second Chamber does not oppose legislation at this stage however the Conservative and Liberal Democrat parties are hoping that as the government does not have huge support in the Lords that they will delay the implementation. In addition, a report on Hips by the Lords select committee is due on Tuesday which is widely expected to be highly critical of the new policy. The Shadow Housing Minister Michael Gove told the BBC this week that a Conservative government would not support Hips and would remove it saying the new regime ?will force everyone selling their house to slap another £500 on the cost, for no real benefit? there?s absolutely no case for making housing more expensive?. http://www.conveyancing-0800.co.uk/news/lords_consider_home_information_packs27042007.html http://www.conveyancing-0800.co.uk/news/hip_boss_disappointed_with_tories_27042007.html The Association of Home Information Pack Providers director general Mike Ockenden has attached the Tory party following their latest opposition to Hips. He says that this attempt to prevent the introduction of the Home Information Pack, is political bias which does not represent democracy. The campaign against Hips being led by Shadow Housing Minister Michael Gove is not representative of the government. He says: ?The public voted for our current government and when doing so, they voted for HIPs. It is very disappointing to see the Tory party follow a stance which is clearly not in the interest of the environment, the consumer nor the entrepreneur in the UK and I would seriously question their motives.? Ockenden continues that the introduction of Hips will have a huge effect on carbon emissions pertaining to existing housing stock and should assist with the improvement of one of the most stressful times in a consumers life, buying and selling a property. He concludes with ?The opposition is clearly jumping on the coat tails of those industry bodies who have called for a delay ? a delay that is not in the best interests of the consumer. In fact, this appears to be simply opposition for opposition?s sake, unless of-course it is driven by some other motive. There is no doubt, the Hip industry is ready.? http://www.conveyancing-0800.co.uk/news/hip_boss_disappointed_with_tories_27042007.html