Home Information Packs are to be abolished in England, placing the fate of the much maligned Scottish Home reports in doubt.

The new LibCon coalition have pledged to get rid of the packs, but retain energy performance certificates.

The English Association of Estate Agents called for the abolition to take immediate effect.  Scottish solicitors voted by a margin of 40-1 against the introduction of Home Reports, introduced in December 2008, and their effect on the recession hit Scottish property market has been carefully monitored.

"This is great news for the housing market and for house buyers, few of whom have paid much attention to these pointless packs," said Peter Bolton King, chief executive of the NAEA.

"It is also good news for sellers, who will no longer need to shell out hundreds of pounds for a piece of pointless regulation that benefits no one. But it is vital that the new Government acts on this commitment boldly, decisively and quickly. Sellers are not going to be prepared to spend hundreds of pounds now if they feel they won't have to in a few months."

The packs were introduced in England in August 2007.