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It was a pretty universal picture around the country with all regions in England and Wales seeing a noticeable increase. The removal of HIPs had the biggest impact in the West Midlands where new ‘For Sale’ listings rose by 42.2% followed by London with a 34.4% increase, the South West up 29.5%, the North East up 28.4% and Central England up 24.1%.

The top 5 cities in the UK that saw a positive reaction to the HIPs suspension were Southampton up 103.5%, Coventry up 77.6%, Colchester up 56.1%, Oxford up 53.8% and Birmingham up 47.7%.

Interestingly, in Scotland, where Home Reports – the Scottish version of HIPs - were retained, there was a drop of nearly 8% in the number of new properties being put on the market – the only part of the UK to experience a fall.

Commenting on these findings, Stephen Watson, Managing Director, Agency Express, said: “The Property Activity Index data confirms what we all suspected – that HIPs were an unnecessary and inhibitive addition to the house sales process. Its removal has immediately injected a welcome surge in properties coming to market that will provide more choice for prospective buyers, help to stabilise prices and reduce the costs of selling your home. We will be monitoring the strength of this apparent recovery in the supply of properties for sale over the coming weeks.”