Are you unsure about what to put on your TA6 form when it comes to Japanese Knotweed?
When looking to sell your property it is important to arrange a Japanese Knotweed survey, it is important to have a survey carried out to confirm it with legally standing documentation. On the TA6 property information form, it asks ”has the property been affected by Japanese Knotweed?”. In response, you have three options:
Firstly, you can tick ‘yes’. We recommend you tick this if there has been Japanese Knotweed on the property. In this case you will need to provide management plans and an insurance backed guarantee. Another other option is to tick ”No”, the problem with ticking no, is that the guidance clearly states that there must not be any Japanese Knotweed, not only within the garden but within three meters of the boundary. Not only does this refer to any visible growth but also includes the rhizomes under ground. Therefore, if you tick ”no” and any Japanese Knotweed springs up, you could be sued for Japanese Knotweed by the new owners. The average claim in the UK is approximately £32,000.00, because it’s classed as misrepresentation. And there are plenty of no win, no fee solicitors that will take the claim to the court for the new homeowner.
Finally, you could put ”I don’t know”, this passes the liability onto the new purchaser. However, when our clients are buying a house, if the TA6 form says ”I don’t know” we recommend they get a survey done. As what that does is pass the liability off. If it turns out there is Japanese Knotweed, it is very difficult to prove that they didn’t know it was there. Typically, our Japanese Knotweed surveys take between half an hour and two hours depending on the complexity of the garden and neighbouring properties.
If you’re selling or buying a house and would like to have a survey for Japanese Knotweed or any other invasive weeds then please do get in touch. If you’re applying for a mortgage, you should consider how Japanese Knotweed can affect mortgage lender approval.
In order to obtain an insurance backed guarantee once the treatment programme has been finished, you will need to have the work overseen by a PCA accredited company. This guarantees that any further growth within the insurance period is remedied as soon as is practicable.
Here, at Japanese Knotweed Expert, our surveyors are PCA Certified, so get in touch if you need any knotweed taken care of! To find out more about our qualifications, visit our Qualifications & Accreditations page