Feedback says consumers are finding packs a useful tool.

1 Home Information Packs will become mandatory on June 1.

2 If you plan to put a residential property up for sale on or after June 1 in England or Wales you will need to acquire a Home Information Pack before your property goes on the market.

3 The responsibility for acquiring a HIP rests with the person responsible for marketing the property, usually, the estate agent, developer or auctioneer, or the seller if the property is being sold privately.

4. If your property is already on the market on June 1 you will not need to acquire a HIP unless it is still on for sale after November 1.

5. The main documents that form a mandatory part of the pack are:

* Index

* Energy Performance Certificate (EPC)

* Title Documentation

* Sale Statement

* Local searches (or at least proof that they have been requested)

* Leasehold documentation ( where required (or at least proof that this has been requested)

6 The HIP may also include a Home Condition Report (HCR), at the seller's request.

7 More than 1,600 HIPs have been commissioned in the first six early roll-out locations, including Newcastle, which began in November 2006.

8 Consumer feedback in the initial six locations has reported that a growing number consumers like the packs and have found them a useful selling tool.

9 Consumers in more than 20 locations across England and Wales are already being offered the option of getting a HIP on their home.

10 The Association of Home Information Pack Providers has introduced a set of standards for pack providers ( the HIP Code of Practice.