A YouGov survey, initiated by Environet, has found that 9% of respondents would not disclose the presence of Japanese knotweed when selling their home, even though not revealing this information could lead to legal consequences.
With these statistics, it is likely that around 4,500 homebuyers might unwittingly purchase a property afflicted with this problematic weed.
Approximately one million homes were sold in 2023, and it’s estimated that 5% of UK properties are affected by knotweed.
Nic Seal, the founder of Environet, warns that finding knotweed after a purchase is distressing and can lead to a strong legal case against the seller if the weed was there when sold.
Seal advises that sellers unsure about the presence of knotweed should answer ‘Not known’ rather than ‘No’ on the TA6 property form, due to the difficulty of confirming there is no live knotweed underground or on adjacent land.
The seriousness of not disclosing knotweed is shown by a case in Raynes Park, London, where a seller had to pay £200,000 for costs and damages after not declaring knotweed in their garden. The judge determined that the plant had been there for years and should have been noticed.
The survey also discovered that while 77% of people say they know what Japanese knotweed is, only 12% could correctly identify it among other plants. Therefore, it’s important for buyers and sellers to do research or get a professional survey to correctly identify the plant, taking into account its seasonal appearance.
