A lack of consumer awareness about Home Information Packs (Hips), being introduced by the government to improve the house buying and selling process, fuelled by an aggressive anti Hips campaign, is doing little to help consumers appreciate the actual benefits of the new initiative, claims local estate agents, Your Move.

Recent research conducted by the group supports government findings that there is limited awareness of Hips and as a result, Your Move fully welcomes the announcement that the government is to launch a campaign next year to address this problem.

From June 2007 all homeowners in England and Wales will need to arrange for a Hip to be prepared before putting their home on the market. The Hip will contain key information including a description of the property, details of searches as well as a Home Condition Report.

The pack will mean that both seller and buyer will have all information relevant to the sale and purchase of a property from the outset to bring greater transparency and certainty to the house buying and selling process.

Your Move’s research identified that there was a 38% awareness of Hips but only 23% actually recall seeing or hearing any specific media activity. Of these, the coverage that appeared on TV appears to have been remembered most, followed by 25% in newspapers and magazines.

A Your Move spokesperson commented: "Without the full facts, consumers are being led to doubt that Hips will address the current dissatisfaction in the house buying and selling process.

Nine out of ten consumers are dissatisfied with the present system and yet they are being bombarded with negative views about Hips - a project that the government has gone to some considerable length to create following extensive consumer research.

An overwhelming 81% of respondents to government research think that Hips would be a good idea. This is supported by research conducted by Consumer Group, Which? who stated that 75-80% of homebuyers, who currently don’t have a survey and rely solely on the limited information on a valuation report, will benefit from a Hip.

It is Your Move’s objective to conduct ongoing research to monitor the awareness of Hips and intends to make its results available to the replacement for the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister who is responsible for Hips.