No-one wants to find Japanese knotweed on their property – it’s a pain to remove, a bit of an eyesore, and an all-round pain in the behind. Japanese knotweed can be incredibly inconvenient, and in some cases, it might be tempting to lie about a knotweed presence to save yourself the hassle of having to deal with it.
Lying about anything usually comes with consequences – but what happens if you lie about having Japanese knotweed on your property?
Lying about Japanese Knotweed
If you’re having a casual conversation with a friend and off-handily mention that you don’t have a knotweed problem when you know for a fact you do, the police aren’t going to come knocking down your door. However, there are a few instances where you will be legally required to be honest.
TA6 Form
When selling a property, you will have to fill in a form known as a TA6. This form will include the question “is the property affected by Japanese knotweed?” to which you can select from one of the following answers:
You can only select “no” if you are certain that there is no Japanese knotweed present on the property or within 3 metres of the boundary. Since it is very difficult to know 100% for sure whether or not knotweed is present on the property, most homeowners elect to choose “not known” to stay on the safe side.
If you select “no” when there is Japanese knotweed present or “not known” if it can be proved that you did know that there was a Japanese knotweed presence, you may be found guilty of misrepresentation and find yourself at the centre of a civil case.
Whether or not you’re found guilty of misrepresentation depends on your case, but there have been many instances of property owners being sued for large sums of money for not disclosing Japanese knotweed on their property.
If you’d like to learn more about instances of Japanese Knotweed misrepresentation claims, check out our following blogs on the topic:
When it comes to Japanese knotweed, it’s always best to be honest, even if the truth is inconvenient! If you think you might have a Japanese knotweed presence on your property but you aren’t sure, reach out and contact Taylor Total Weed Control today to arrange your FREE knotweed survey!
Our basic free survey will let you know whether or not there is Japanese knotweed present, where it’s located, and how much there is. Our basic surveys are completely free of charge, even if you don’t proceed with one of our treatment plans!
Free Knotweed Survey
If you do have Japanese knotweed on your property, it will likely be cheaper to get the knotweed removed rather than paying the fines that could result in selling a property with a Japanese knotweed presence! If you’d like to learn more about our knotweed treatment and removal services, head on over to our website.
Japanese Knotweed Removal Services
Read More: Has Anyone Ever Gone to Jail Over Japanese Knotweed?
Is It Japanese Knotweed?