LONDON (Reuters) - The controversial home information pack HIP.L scheme will be extended to cover three-bedroom properties from September 10, the government announced on Friday.

Currently HIPs and Energy Performance Certificates (EPCs), which came into force at the start of August, only cover homes with four or more bedrooms.

The packs, which shift most of the burden of gathering information about a property prior to sale from the buyer to the seller, contain key information including title deeds, local searches and an energy rating.

The scheme was due to come into force for all property sellers in England and Wales on June 1 but was postponed because not enough energy assessors had been trained.

Communities Minister Baroness Andrews said enough assessors had now been trained to extend the scheme to three-bedroom homes from next month.

She said HIPs could help reduce the millions of pounds wasted when buying and selling homes by making the process more transparent.

"We are now ready to start rolling out HIPs and EPCs to the next part of the market as promised, and improve a home buying and selling process which currently is not working for consumers or the environment," she said.

"HIPs and EPCs can help families to save hundreds of pounds off their fuel bills, and cut a million tonnes of carbon a year."

The packs will include evidence of title, copies of planning, listed building or building regulation consents, guarantees for any work, the energy performance certificate, standard searches and legal documents, along with an optional home condition report.