The government has met calls for action over home information packs with silence, after the Hips stakeholder group raised serious concerns over the current plans and requested a group consultation with the minister for housing and planning, Yvette Cooper.

The group includes the Law society, the National Association of Estate Agents, the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors and the Council of Mortgage Lenders.

The group asked Yvette Cooper for a meeting over their fears about Hips, due to become law on June 1, but the minister has refused a group discussion meeting.

From June 1st it will be illegal to market a property through an estate agent, internet site, newspaper advertisement or privately, without a pack of information, expected to cost around £500.

Charles Smailes, president of the NAEA, said: “We support the government in their policy objectives, to improve the home buying and selling process, and are prepared to work with them on this. We are disappointed that they do not see the importance of a group meeting with the stakeholders.”

“However, it is clear that there is considerably more work to be done if Hips are to be a workable solution, and there is simply not enough time for the issues to be resolved before the 1st June. In their current format, Hips will prove to be ineffective and vastly impractical.”

Former NAEA president and vociferous anti-hip campaigner, Trevor Kent, said: “The government have singularly failed to convince the industry, even those supporting Packs, that any of the milestones the government themselves set in place for satisfactory roll-out of packs, have been reached.”

“To continue this folly will lead to property market melt-down of un-dreamt of proportions.”

However, the Hip preparation industry has presented a united front in a recent letter to the housing minister, offering the strongest of reassurances that it is ready to deliver Hips effectively and efficiently as of the 1st June this year.

The letter was signed by over 100 industry members and was sent, they said, to dispel in particular, a number of myths raised in recent statements.

Mike Ockenden, director general of the Association of Home Information Pack Providers said: “Our recent letter which was sent directly to Yvette Cooper offers unequivocal assurance from the industry that it is ready to offer packs as of the 1st June.”

“Calls from those who wish to see delays, for whatever reasons or vested interests, should be ignored by the minister, who should feel confident in delivering this consumer and environmental reform on the 1st June.”