Selling a house with knotweed

sxcizme3010

Hi everyone,

Looking for some advice really. I know somebody who is currently trying to sell their house even though it has a severe problem with knotweed. They have dug out and treated with weedkiller so to the naked eye it looks ok but the roots are still there and within 2 months it would have grown back. They arent planning on disclosing the problem to the buyer so by the time they exchange it will be too late. They have been quoted 8000-10000 to treat the problem properly however they arent willing to do this. I think this is totally wrong and very deceiving - what should I do? Im not one for causing problems however I wouldnt want to buy a house and then have this problem.. Im totally torn.

moneyistooshorttomention

Tell would-be buyers - without a doubt.

I've had that sort of stunt pulled on a couple of my friends here - ie they bought houses in all innocence (and after a survey) and then found they had this in their garden.

I've also seen a house up for sale near me recently that did eventually sell - at a time of year when the JK the neighbours garden is infected with didn't show - and it obviously came as quite a shock to the new owners of that house when I told them what the neighbour had in their garden. They went rather white....

EDIT: I personally wouldn't feel in the slightest bit "torn" I have to admit about making sure this fact was out in the open. For all you know it may be someone rather hard up for money and that can only just manage to buy the house at the price this awful vendor wants to put it on at - and buys it for a non-JK infection price and then finds themselves in the position of literally not having the money to pay that £8k-£10k out. In all probability - that is exactly what would happen in fact...

Actually - there is another point too. I seem to recall the relevant questions form a vendor has to fill in these days specifically asks a question re JK. If that vendor lies and says it hasn't got it and a buyer then realised - that buyer could have the vendor for misrepresentation. The penalties for misrepresentation go all the way up to the vendor being forced to buy the house back off them. So - put like that = you're doing the vendor the favour of saving them from a possible misrepresentation claim.

Rambosmum

Where on earth have they got that sort of quote from? What sort of sized area is it? We had ours treated (house bought under very similar circumstances, seller had cut it back so it wasn't easy to spot) and it cost £495 inc vat and we have a 10 year guarantee and a certificate to pass on to future buyers, though if we haven't had any for that length of time (it'll be at least another 10 years before we sell) I may have forgotten by then!

By far the easiest thing to do would be to start treatment with a reputable company. The buyer could sue your friend as well, if they were so inclined (we didn't bother).

Dan-Dan

Well , its now a specific question within the property information pack , so your friend is taking an almighty risk

sxcizme3010

The problem is Im not going to be able to tell the buyers until its too late - Im not sure if I can go to somebody official to bring this up. I mentioned it to the estate agents (who had no idea about it) They then contacted the sellers who told them some !!!! and bull story about how its been treated (the have put weedkiller on it and dug it out) but its not been removed and by digging it out they could have made the problem worse. I think it disgusting to be honest.

SplanK

Even if they do not tell them during viewing (IE if the question is not asked, then no need to give an answer....), the sellers will have to fill in a SPIF form. It asks about knotweed presence.


By not telling them on this, and it will be clear to the buyers (if they know what they are looking for) that its more than just new growth or growth from a neighbour, then they have the potential to sue the seller for miss representation for the amount it would cost to put right, plus costs as far as I understand.

sxcizme3010

Iv tried contacting the agents and informing them however they dont seem in the least bit bothered. I just wouldnt want somebody paying the asking price (way over its worth) and then having to pay for the removal of it on top of all other costs. I feel awful and its not even my house :-(

fairy_lights

What is your relationship to the sellers, are they your neighbours?
Are you absolutely certain that they haven't had it treated properly?

moneyistooshorttomention

SplanK wrote: »

Even if they do not tell them during viewing (IE if the question is not asked, then no need to give an answer....), the sellers will have to fill in a SPIF form. It asks about knotweed presence.


By not telling them on this, and it will be clear to the buyers (if they know what they are looking for) that its more than just new growth or growth from a neighbour, then they have the potential to sue the seller for miss representation for the amount it would cost to put right, plus costs as far as I understand.

It would likely not be clear to some buyers. If you've not encountered it before - then you don't know how to identify it.

Dan-Dan

Have you thought of minding your own business?

moneyistooshorttomention

Some of us like to be able to sleep at night with a clear conscience.