The government's Home Information Packs have come into force in England and Wales, amid claims that they will make house selling more expensive.

The packs contain title deeds, local searches and an energy performance certificate, which will provide information on reducing energy consumption and making homes more environmentally friendly.

All sellers with homes with four or more bedrooms will have to provide the packs, but there are plans to eventually extend the scheme to all properties.

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They will cost between £400 and £700 to produce and homeowners face a £200 fine if they do not use the packs.

The aim of the packs is to help speed up the process of buying a home by providing potential buyers with more information about the property before they put in an offer. However, critics of the scheme have suggested that it will make house-selling more expensive and will provide little benefit to buyers.

The introduction of the scheme was delayed by two months, due to a lack of inspectors qualified to produce energy performance certificates.

Opposition political parties and industry groups, including the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors, the National Association of Estate Agents and the Council of Mortgage Lenders are all opposed to the scheme.

(KMcA/SP)