The final roll-out of Home Information Packs is being delayed until the end of the year.

Homeowners in England and Wales are currently allowed to begin marketing their property as soon as they have ordered a Hip, but the Government previously said that from June 1 they would not be able to put their home up for sale until they had a pack.

The U-turn comes the day after the Communities and Local Government Department dismissed as "speculation" reports that it was planning to push back the June deadline until the end of the year.

The Government is also delaying the requirement for the lease to be included in Hips for leasehold properties.

The delay was announced alongside a package of measures which aim to improve the house buying and selling process.

The Government said it is working with industry bodies, such as the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors, National Association of Estate Agents and the Law Society, to develop a new set of standards for property professionals.

These will include having arrangements for redress if consumers are unhappy with the service they receive.

The Government also plans to work with the industry to ensure that agents and Hip providers make the packs available to potential buyers at the earliest opportunity.

Research carried out by the Government into the pilot phase of the packs, which aim to speed up the house buying and selling process, found that they were provided to only four out of 10 buyers.

A further 20% did not receive the documents from estate agents until after they had made an offer on a property.

The Government will also look at including additional consumer-friendly information in the packs, such as details on a property's fixtures and fittings, or information on access and boundaries.

It claimed that consumers are already benefiting from the introduction of Hips, with more than 700,000 homes now having an energy rating, enabling people to save money on fuel bills, while greater competition in the property searches market had led to some local authorities reducing the cost of their search fees by up to £120.

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