Are you unsure about what to put on your TA6 form when it comes to Japanese Knotweed?
When looking to sell your property, even if you believe there is no Japanese Knotweed, it is important to have a survey carrier out. 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 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. We had been looking around this garden for about an hour now and we couldn’t find any Japanese Knotweed. Typically, our survey’s take between half an hour and two hours depending on the complexity of the garden and neighbouring properties.
So, if you are selling a house or buying a house and would like to have a survey carried out for Japanese Knotweed or any other invasive weed then please do get in touch.
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
If you think that you have Japanese Knotweed, do not touch it. Always seek professional advice for your next steps!
Have you found Japanese knotweed on your property? Not sure if you are able to make a claim? Who is legally responsible?
If you need help identifying Japanese knotweed, you first must know that it will look different depending on the current season.
See what treatment options are available for residential properties.
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If you can't find an answer to your question, call and speak to a member of our team.
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