House hunters are being warned to be extra vigilant for signs of Japanese knotweed when viewing properties in the autumn and winter months.
Experts in the invasive plant, which can wreak thousands of pounds worth of damage to properties and detrimentally impact mortgage applications, are warning it is far less easy to detect from October onwards.
This is because it starts to die back as autumn sets in and is therefore easily obscured, according to Environet – a specialist in the weed’s removal.
Legal requirement
It is now a legal requirement for homeowners affected by Japanese knotweed to declare their property is affected by the plant on the Law Society’s TA6 form, which they fill in when they sell their property.
This is a legally-binding document and asks the direct question about Japanese knotweed.
Environet estimates there could be around 2,400 cases where people actively conceal the existence of the weed during property transactions ever year.
But it also discovered 4% of people who were selling property with Japanese knotweed would attempt to hide it.
Winter risk
Nic Seal, founder and MD of Environet, explained how people buying property during the winter months were undoubtedly at greater risk of knotweed concealment.
He advised them to actively look for signs of the invasive plant and explained while the canes may have been removed, the crown will still be visible in the ground. In extreme cases membranes laid horizontally in the ground, path or lawn may be laid over it.
Environet said a surveyor would be able to identify the weed if it’s visible but warned it could be easily missed if the seller was determine to hide it.
Seal said: “Deliberate concealment of Japanese knotweed is unwise. Dishonest sellers are likely to find themselves being sued for misrepresentation and may have to pay substantial legal fees and compensate the buyer for the decrease in the property’s value.”
What if you find Japanese knotweed?
Environet explained Japanese knotweed didn’t have to be a deal breaker when it came to buying and selling property.
It said, provided a professional treatment plan was in place with an insurance-backed guarantee that could be passed on to the buyer and satisfied the mortgage lender, the transaction could go ahead.
