Government-backed organisation Council for the National Land & Property Information Service (C-NLIS) has welcomed the CML's call for the postponement of HIPs as it warns that local authorities are not ready for the packs.

The Council of Mortgage Lenders (CML) has said that HIPs should be postponed until the results from the trials show whether the packs will be effective.

Alex Fraser, chief executive of C-NLIS, said: "C-NLIS supports the view expressed by the CML that Local Authorities are not fully prepared to meet the new challenges presented by the introduction of Home Information Packs.

"Whilst the turnaround times of Local Authorities' own official searches have reduced dramatically over the last 12 months, many Authorities do not have the resource to provide unfettered access for personal searches."

Fraser added: "We have for some time warned government that the huge increases in volumes of personal searches which will inevitably result from the introduction of HIPs, will lead to meltdown in some Authorities who simply will not be able to cope.

"We remain sceptical that the transitional period announced in January will provide sufficient time to implement the necessary changes."

C-NLIS is a government-backed organisation and manages NLIS, which was set up to support local authorities (LAs) and other property information holders in England and Wales in their move from manual to electronic provision of property information services. 

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