Junior housing minister Iain Wright has today published new measures which he says will deliver faster and cheaper property searches for homebuyers. <br> <br>The measures are part of the government’s drive to improve the process of home buying and selling for consumers. <br> <br>Local authorities should now give private search companies access to their data within one working day. They can then regain their costs by setting a charge for improving access. <br> <br>According to CLG, there is currently a variation in the speed of property search provision, with some searches being provided within hours and others taking two weeks. Charges can also range from £40 to £280. <br> <br>CLG also said that at present, private search companies cannot access council data and must take out insurance cover to compensate for it. <br> <br>But if both providers have equal access to data, CLG explained, there is no need for insurance cover and the provider can concentrate on giving customers the best property search service at a lower cost. <br> <br>CLG also argued that HIPs have lowered the average cost of property searches as they have created new competition. <br>