THE countdown has begun and the controversy is mounting: next month sellers will be obliged to provide home information packs (Hips) containing title deeds, local searches and an energy performance certificate (EPC). But the scheme has come under fire in a report from the House of Lords this week and opposition MPs are likely to call for the policy to be scrapped. So where does that leave you? The short answer is we won’t know for sure until June 1, but if the packs do become compulsory as planned, it wouldn’t be a bad idea to do some research now.

For the official line on the packs and what they should contain, go to www.homeinformationpacks.gov.uk and click on the buyers’ and sellers’ link. The website explains how to go about commissioning a pack and gives regional lists of Hip providers. The Association of Hip Providers’ website, www.hipassociation.co.uk, also has a list of home inspectors. If you fancy becoming an inspector the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors has an eight-step plan at http://tinyurl.com/yw57r4, while www.sava.org.uk runs home inspector training, as well as courses with titles such as “A Day Inside Walls” and “A Day Under the Floor”.

A worrying sign of wobbles in the Spanish property market comes in the form of this website: www.distressedsalesspain.com. The says it “offers fantastic prices” and “great opportunities for investors.” Sellers include developers and those who need to sell in a hurry but don’t mind losing money – the website claims that properties generally sell at 30 per cent below the bank valuation.

Now a completely different subject: have you grown some prize veg? Do you fancy winning a pair of tickets to the Chelsea Flower Show on May 26? Then e-mail your pictures and a short description to gardens@timesonline.co.uk – the winner will be chosen on May 16, so don’t delay. Check out what your fellow vegetable growers have sent in at timesonline.co.uk/gardens.

Got a great website? E-mail: lucia.adams@timesonline.co.uk

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