Homebuyer pack 'is an aid to burglary'

The Government's proposed homebuyers' packs are an open invitation to snoops, stalkers and burglars, senior lawyers warned today. From 2007, anyone selling a house will have to provide potential buyers with a Home Condition Pack giving a detailed report on the property.

But the Law Society claims the contents could help criminals target vulnerable addresses.

It says the packs would force sellers to disclose sensitive information such as details of the security system to anyone who requested it.

Chief executive Janet Paraskeva said: "Anyone could walk into an estate agent's and discover information about

burglar alarms, defective doors, bad windows and the construction of properties. This could put people at risk."

But the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister rejected the claims and accused the Law Society of putting out " outrageous misinformation".

Housing Minister Keith Hill said homeowners would not have to disclose information to people who were not genuine potential buyers.

Estate agents and sellers had up to 14 days to deal with a request for a copy of the pack, allowing time to check that a buyer was genuine.