Moving house is supposed to be one of the most stressful activities in a person's life.

But according to the Government, from June, buying and selling homes is going to be much quicker.

The much talked-about Home Information Packs (HIPs), plagued by criticism since they were first dreamed up in 1997, will be introduced on June 1.

Everyone who wants to sell up will have to put one together before their home goes on the market. Even developers selling new-build homes will need to have one.

The HIPs have two main aims: to speed up the house selling and buying process (it currently takes about 12 weeks from having your offer accepted, to completing the deal), and to comply with a European requirement to cut carbon emissions.

Estate agents, whose responsibility it will be to ensure a HIP is produced, are not sure it will make things quicker.

Graham Buxton, a partner at Fenn Wright in Colchester High Street, said staff are currently being trained in HIPs to comply with the Government legislation.

"But what will happen if, for example, between a request from a client to put their house on the market and the 14 days it could take for a HIP to be produced, someone comes into the office and describes a property they want to buy that matches the one that's waiting for a HIP?

"The biggest questions are how much HIPs will speed up house buying and selling, and whether it will take away the stresses undoubtedly felt around this process," he said.

"We are not entirely sure HIPs will provide all the answers."

The National Association of Estate Agents, which represents the interests of estate agents, has described HIPs as "trying to fit a square peg into a round hole" and said the Government needed to go back to the drawing board.

Estate agents will be fined £200 a day for an un-HIPped property until one is compiled. Private sellers also need to be careful. If someone is advertising a home for sale, they must have a HIP. The only difference is the vendor themselves would have to organise one through one of many HIP providers.

Before asking "what is a HIP?" home sellers are more likely to ask "what will it cost me?". With house prices rocketing and the cost of living greater than ever, it's an understandable question.

The answer is at least £300. This includes papers and checks but most importantly, an Energy Performance Certificate (EPC). In line with the Government's agenda to reduce climate change, the EPC will, like ratings on your washing machine and fridge, place an energy efficiency rating on your home.

Hundreds of people are being trained as energy assessors to come into our homes and tell us whether it is energy efficient - do we use energy-saving light bulbs? Is our loft insulation satisfactory?

However, Home Condition Reports, which tell prospective buyers if homes are structurally sound, are only optional in HIPs.

HIPs do not do away with mortgage surveys.

Colchester-based estate agent Spicerhaart, which is creating 50 jobs at its call centre in Butt Road to help people understand HIPs, is actually encouraging people to put their houses on the market before June 1, as they are exempt from HIPs until December 31 this year.

Mr Buxton believes that, as awareness of HIPs grows, more people will put their homes on the market before June 1.

But will a sudden flood of properties on the market impact on the price of property? "We are not expecting a downturn in price," said Mr Buxton. "However, one does wonder whether there will be slightly fewer properties on the market after this date until the market adjusts to the HIPs."

If you're planning to move house, what will you do? Put your house on the market now, or be one of the first in north Essex to try the HIPs?

Whatever your choice, you haven't got long to decide.

  • To find out more about HIPs, go to the website below

    WHAT IS INCLUDED IN A HIP?
  • Index of contents
  • A sale statement
  • Evidence of title
  • Energy Performance Certificate
  • Searches and leasehold/common hold documents.



WHO CAN PUT TOGETHER A HIP

  • Estate agents
  • Solicitors
  • A specialist pack provider
  • DIY - except for the energy performance certificate (EPC)
  • Supermarkets have indicated they may get involved.



WHEN DON'T YOU NEED A PACK?

  • There is no marketing involved (eg: you are selling to family members)
  • The property is non-residential
  • The property is a seasonal/holiday accommodation
  • The property is a Right to Buy sale
  • Sales of portfolios of properties
  • Properties sold without vacant possession
  • Unsafe properties and properties that are to be demolished. Searches and leasehold/common hold documents.