To not tell ex-neighbours our garden had Japanese knotweed in it?

[HarderToKidnap]

We recently sold our house. Mid terrace Victorian with a tiny well kept garden.

I have just realised, as in the last twenty minutes, that the garden was riddled with Japanese knotweed. I thought it was just a rogue plant.

I still regularly see our old neighbours, both sides. One I know wants to move soon. If she knows our old garden had JK in it, she will have to declare this when selling and it can make it impossible for the buyers to get a mortgage.

Alternatively, if I tell her, she can watch for it on her land and get rid immediately. But she might tell new person in our house about it (unlikely) an they may seek legal recourse.

I'd like to leave her in blissful ignorance really. If she knows I think she will feel compelled to declare it on that sellers fOrm. She's pregnant and a worrier and doesn't need it really.

The other side will be in that house til they die and as keen garden eras I'm sure will notice immediately if it start growing in their garden.

So can I leave pregnant ex neighbour in ignorance of the JK?

Um are you planning on tell the people who currently own the house?

I think you should but I don't think you will. You knew about it when selling your property and didn't try get rid of it. I'm sure your next door neighbour will find out anyway when your houses current owners work out what that weed is.

Dont tell! You got away with it, so give her the same chance.

How was it a well-kept garden with JK in it?

How come you've only just realised? If your garden was tiny I would have thought it was a bit obvious?

We're not gardeners. It was just a plant that grew a lot. It had pretty flowers so if I thought about it at all I figured we'd probably put it in and it was a vociferous grower! To clarify, we had no idea it was JK when selling the house. Another thread caused me to google it just now and I've just realised.

You didn't know when you sold it so I'd keep quiet

I feel like a right knob! I used to say to DH "look at this amazing plant, it's taken over the whole flowerbed in a day! isn't nature amazing!" And all sorts of gubbins like that. Used to hack it back every few days. I had heard of JK and thought I knew what it looked like as I used to hoe knotweed in a vineyard in Australia. Obviously I was wrong!

God that's a hard one. You need to see a solicitor to make sure you don't get sued and then tell the people you sold it to. Not sure about your neighbours.

I've just Google'd and I wouldn't have had any idea that was Japanese Knotweed either! It's actually quite pretty.
I don't know what you should do to be honest. You truly didn't know it was in the garden of your house when you sold it, so you didn't deceive the buyers. But I would be worried about what could happen if you tell anyone now. Your old neighbour could have a similar crisis of and think they really ought to warn others...

i think you should let the buyers and your neighbours know. i don't think you are liable for anything, as you did not know that you had JK when you sold the place (but i would try to get some free legal advice on that). the buyers could potentially seek recourse from their surveyor.

JK is a serious matter, so it would be better if the buyers and your neighbours were informed. it could damage their properties. it could also spread to other properties, and then they could be liable for that!

There is a lot of hysteria about kw. We bought a house knowing there was some in the garden; luckily mortgage co. didn't notice! After 3 years of blitzing with glyphosate it has pretty much given up the ghost. It is an old house and the kw is not going to compromise it in the least, neither will it gobble up any passing toddlers. Luckily this is our forever house, so no need to worry about paranoid buyers or banks!

I would say their surveyors were at fault more than you. I'm not a gardener at all and have just had to google to see what Jk even is and why it's so bad! You didn't know at the time, but I would let the current owners know, just in case.

KW will only damage a property if it is built on top of it or left to run totally rampant and unchecked, unlikely in a suburban garden. It is a plant not a bulldozer!

It can affect the possibility of the new buyers getting a mortgage on your house.

I'd consider their surveyor more at fault! Its something that should have been noticed.

Lots of people don't know what it is. I went into a cafe last summer; the owner was proudly showing me his little garden when I noticed JK in a tub growing up an obelisk! He then showed me it completely covering his pagoda and said it was so pretty he'd stuck some in a few tubs too to brighten up the place quickly .

I tried ever so gently to break the news to him but don't think he understood the implications at all...

It's treatable - lots companies will deal with it and guarantee it's gone. I think I'd tell friend at some point as it takes 3 years to be classified gone after treatment so they can eradicate it before selling if they ever move.

I would keep quiet.

lot of hysteria over this. dont say anything and dont worry about it either

Are you 100% sure it is JK. My next door neighbour came to tell me she had found it in hers - turned out it bindweed.

fuck, I think we've got this. I yank to out regularly. How the hell do you get rid of it?

oh! Maybe we have bindweed. No, just googled, we have that at the back of the garden, knotweed closer to the house. Eeeek.

Don't say anything to your ex neighbours or the people who bought your house, you might be wrong in any case, bind weed can look similar, honestly, forget it.

There's a chemical your pour on it in spring but it has to be the gov approved one - you can google the names - think you repeat every 6 mths.

It's illegal to put it in recycling/rubbish etc so don't do that!