Japanese Knotweed on purchase TA6
Discussion
We were closing in on exchange but the vendors had been tardy (May offer accepted, 27/07 TA6 form received) with paperwork. Knotweed ticked with a comment “treat it with hydrochloride personally).
No survey has been competed. No treatment plan in place.
The land covers 20acres and will be a nightmare to survey as much is forest. Our lender has strict requirements on it and may not lend if the survey comes back in a certain banding.
Anyone had any experience?
No survey has been competed. No treatment plan in place.
The land covers 20acres and will be a nightmare to survey as much is forest. Our lender has strict requirements on it and may not lend if the survey comes back in a certain banding.
Anyone had any experience?
yes I had a very small area treated / disposed of ( hazardous waste) and ground blocking screens for £6k.
I would be wary. It is expensive to dispose of and if more than a tiny amount will cost.
letting it spread is an offence.
I would ask for exact details of where and how big and if you do proceed get quotes for removal and take off the purchase price. If it s a large part of your large plot I would walk away
I would be wary. It is expensive to dispose of and if more than a tiny amount will cost.
letting it spread is an offence.
I would ask for exact details of where and how big and if you do proceed get quotes for removal and take off the purchase price. If it s a large part of your large plot I would walk away
How friendly/helpful did the sellers seem? Worth speaking to them directly and asking them to show you the knotweed so you can see what you're dealing with?
I did that with somewhere I was hoping to buy and it looked pretty manageable so was happy to proceed. No issues with the lender as the surveyor (for the home report here in scotland) didn't spot it. Someone else offered more than I was willing to so it was all academic in the end.
Edit - £6k seems pretty nuts. The guy who bought the place I was hoping too just treated it himself with glyphsate whenever it appeared.
I did that with somewhere I was hoping to buy and it looked pretty manageable so was happy to proceed. No issues with the lender as the surveyor (for the home report here in scotland) didn't spot it. Someone else offered more than I was willing to so it was all academic in the end.
Edit - £6k seems pretty nuts. The guy who bought the place I was hoping too just treated it himself with glyphsate whenever it appeared.
Edited by Snow and Rocks on Friday 31st July 15:07
We have Knotweed. Although a few years now, it cost about £1600 + VAT for a treatment plan over 10 years. There is next to nothing left now and I just blast it with roundup stump killer, at the appropriate time. Some lenders wouldn't lend on the property, though. I am sure come sale time, someone will try and fist me on the price because, once twenty years ago, it had knotweed.
Road2Ruin said:
We have Knotweed. Although a few years now, it cost about £1600 + VAT for a treatment plan over 10 years. There is next to nothing left now and I just blast it with roundup stump killer, at the appropriate time. Some lenders wouldn't lend on the property, though. I am sure come sale time, someone will try and fist me on the price because, once twenty years ago, it had knotweed.
You say it ‘had’ knotweed. You also say it still has knotweed. You can understand the lender’s dichotomy…Well it’s not been surveyed and that’s going to be a big task to compete. I’m less bothered about the current position than the future selling position. If it’s putting me off with a can do attitude, it’s going to close it for many.
Broker said don’t do it. Even the estate agent swore on the phone and asked if I was pulling out. Seems to be the norm.
Broker said don’t do it. Even the estate agent swore on the phone and asked if I was pulling out. Seems to be the norm.
Road2Ruin said:
normalbloke said:
You say it had knotweed. You also say it still has knotweed. You can understand the lender s dichotomy
I was talking twenty years later 'had'. Keep up at the back.Our clients note that the presence of Japanese knotweed was not disclosed until the TA6 Property Information Form was provided, approximately three months after their offer was accepted. This is a material issue which may affect the property's value, mortgageability, insurability and future saleability. Had this information been available at the outset, our clients' offer and decision to proceed would have been different. Before they can continue, we require full details of the extent of the infestation, any treatment history, copies of any guarantees, and proposals from your clients to address the impact on the transaction.
Even Chat GPT isn’t a fan …
Even Chat GPT isn’t a fan …
Snow and Rocks said:
Sounds like a potential of getting a bargain to me.
Like I said, if you plan to be there for a few years it's definitely worth having a walk around with the seller. Even 20 acres of woodland won't take that long to look round. Knotweed is pretty easy to spot.
We were proceeding at £1.25m. For me it feels like it doesn t begin with a 1 anymore whatever the survey outcome. I know how my broker, solicitor and agent have all responded and shared their experiences around sales that have failed to proceed because the word was mentioned. The hard hit is we are having to split the chain and complete on ours to move to Cumbria and get the kids settled. So completion on 28/08 is taking us into an Airbnb initially now. Bit messy. Like I said, if you plan to be there for a few years it's definitely worth having a walk around with the seller. Even 20 acres of woodland won't take that long to look round. Knotweed is pretty easy to spot.
Edited by Familymad on Saturday 1st August 06:12
If you were buying a building and three months into the purchase discovered some fairly major structural issues would you proceed? Would you trust the vendors who have avoided all mention until they reached the point at which they had to declare it by law? Even if you felt you could rectify those issues would you still pay the price you agreed for the building in perfect condition?
You’re either going to do this with your heart or your head. Your most recent comments suggest heart as you’re looking for people to agree with you managing it yourself and it’s all OK. You really need to switch your purchasing decision to your head. If the land was cheaper than it should have been and / or you think you’re getting a massive deal, you’ve just found out why. It isn’t a steal and it’s going to cost you a lot more than the purchase price to get it sorted.
You’re either going to do this with your heart or your head. Your most recent comments suggest heart as you’re looking for people to agree with you managing it yourself and it’s all OK. You really need to switch your purchasing decision to your head. If the land was cheaper than it should have been and / or you think you’re getting a massive deal, you’ve just found out why. It isn’t a steal and it’s going to cost you a lot more than the purchase price to get it sorted.
I’ve not looked for anyone to agree with my course of action. All we have done is respond to the TA6 the same day it was received …. yesterday. Our offer was accepted on May 8th.
I’m not a heart person with bricks. We booked 2 viewings on alternative properties, yesterday, for this coming weekend. It’s a 600 mile round trip or would have tried to get them today or tomorrow. I am frustrated it’s wasted so much money and time, but that’s house buying in England.
I’m not a heart person with bricks. We booked 2 viewings on alternative properties, yesterday, for this coming weekend. It’s a 600 mile round trip or would have tried to get them today or tomorrow. I am frustrated it’s wasted so much money and time, but that’s house buying in England.
20 acres... in Cumbria. Honestly, there is a high chance of knotweed on that size of land.
But the sellers know its an issue - they have rolled the dice playing the game hoping that you are now so far in that you cant pull out.
I would get a quote for a survey and then ask the seller to pay for the survey.
You cant really make a decision until you know just what you are dealing with.
But the sellers know its an issue - they have rolled the dice playing the game hoping that you are now so far in that you cant pull out.
I would get a quote for a survey and then ask the seller to pay for the survey.
You cant really make a decision until you know just what you are dealing with.
Familymad said:
I ve not looked for anyone to agree with my course of action. All we have done is respond to the TA6 the same day it was received . yesterday. Our offer was accepted on May 8th.
I m not a heart person with bricks. We booked 2 viewings on alternative properties, yesterday, for this coming weekend. It s a 600 mile round trip or would have tried to get them today or tomorrow. I am frustrated it s wasted so much money and time, but that s house buying in England.
The people whose opinion matters and whose advice you should be taking have said to walk away. You could do a survey, but dependant on type of survey it could just come back and say “yep you’ve got knotweed, you need a more detailed report”. I m not a heart person with bricks. We booked 2 viewings on alternative properties, yesterday, for this coming weekend. It s a 600 mile round trip or would have tried to get them today or tomorrow. I am frustrated it s wasted so much money and time, but that s house buying in England.
Get a full quotation done for the cost to deal with it, that’s the real thing you need to know. Then if you still want to proceed, start negotiating again. The vendor is as far into this as you are. They’ve probably lost a few buyers already due to the knotweed, which is why they’ve stayed silent to this point. It might even be the sole reason that they’re selling as they know their cost to rectify is too much for them to stomach.
Spot on Opapayer (both posts).
It’s not a minor, overlooked, point. Vendor cannot not have known that it’d be an issue.
The question, if OP is still minded to proceed, revolves around who pays for a detailed survey and how the economics change as a result (value impairment, remediation).
Although you might be able to control or eradicate the knotweed you will never be able to get rid of the history.
It’s not a minor, overlooked, point. Vendor cannot not have known that it’d be an issue.
The question, if OP is still minded to proceed, revolves around who pays for a detailed survey and how the economics change as a result (value impairment, remediation).
Although you might be able to control or eradicate the knotweed you will never be able to get rid of the history.
omniflow said:
Sorry, but you very clearly state that you "had" knotweed but also that you still have knotweed - "There is next to nothing left now" - means that there's still something left.
Yes, we have knotweed now. Buy in twenty years time, when I have to tick a box, we will have had knotweed, as I hope it will have been eradicated by then.I am amazed that you and your lawyers waited so long for a property info form. I would expect them in days.
When I sell I get them from the lawyers when it is on the market , fill them in so they can be sent the day the offer is accepted.
It was 100% intentional by the seller who has also not helped themselves with the vague answer
Good luck
When I sell I get them from the lawyers when it is on the market , fill them in so they can be sent the day the offer is accepted.
It was 100% intentional by the seller who has also not helped themselves with the vague answer
Good luck
In the near future knotweed will merge with AI, become self aware and plan its destruction of mankind.
Its first point of attack will be to decimate the Roundup factory. Resistance will be futile. KnotweedAI will enslave and farm humans and process us into fertiliser.
The triffids tried this, had their day but failed.
So yeh, get a survey.
Its first point of attack will be to decimate the Roundup factory. Resistance will be futile. KnotweedAI will enslave and farm humans and process us into fertiliser.
The triffids tried this, had their day but failed.
So yeh, get a survey.
Edited by The Gauge on Saturday 1st August 08:21
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