Homeowners are not convinced that home information packs (Hips) offer enough benefits to make them a worthwhile expense, it has been claimed.

Mortgage broker L&C said that 78 per cent felt that the cost of a Hip was not good value for money, with 62 per cent believing that having one would make no difference to the time it took to sell a property.

However, 68 per cent admitted that they would be quite or very likely to take on board the findings of the energy performance certificate contained in a Hip and carry out renovation work to make their home more energy efficient.

James Cotton, a mortgage specialist at L&C, argued that while most homeowners saw "no tangible benefit" of Hips at the moment, this might change in the future.

"As more and more people in a chain become familiar with both providing and using Hips, customer attitudes towards them should hopefully improve. We may also see some reduction in cost as they become more widespread," he suggested.

While the government is planning the roll-out of the scheme across all homes in the UK, the Conservative party yesterday announced it would scrap Hips if it won the next general election.