Selling a house with knotweed: the TA6 form, explained without the panic
Disclosure is mandatory. With the right paperwork in place, the sale almost always goes through.
The TA6 Property Information Form is one of the standard conveyancing documents your solicitor will hand you when you sell. Question 7.8 asks specifically about Japanese knotweed: is it present on the property, and if so, what is being done about it.
The three answers — and what each one means
"No"
Only valid if you have genuinely looked and there is none. "I didn't know" is a defensible answer if it is true; it is not a way to dodge the question. Buyers' surveyors look for knotweed specifically and the consequences of an inaccurate "No" range from price renegotiation post-exchange to a full misrepresentation claim.
"Yes, with a management plan in place"
This is the answer lenders and buyers want to see. A documented plan from a recognised contractor, backed by a 5 or 10-year insurance-backed guarantee that transfers to the new owner. Almost every mainstream lender — Halifax, Nationwide, Santander, Barclays, NatWest, HSBC and Principality among them — will lend on this basis without flinching.
"Yes, untreated / no plan"
Mortgageable, but harder. Most buyers will insist on a price reduction equivalent to (or larger than) the cost of treatment, and a few lenders will decline. Almost always worth getting a survey and quote in hand before the property goes to market — even if you do not start treatment, the buyer can take over a costed plan.
What "the right paperwork" actually looks like
- A site survey signed by a PCA-certificated surveyor.
- A written management plan with method statement and treatment schedule.
- An insurance-backed guarantee (5 or 10 year) that is assignable to successive owners.
- Treatment records and stem-count data from each visit so far.
With that pack in your conveyancing file, the question on TA6 stops being a problem and becomes a footnote. We have not yet seen a sale fall through where the seller had all four documents ready on day one.
Reviewed by
The survey team
PCA-certificated surveyors, Japanese Knotweed Elimination
PA1 / PA6A certificated surveyors who carry out the site visits, write the management plans and sign off the reports issued to lenders and solicitors.
Reviews the technical, legal and lender statements in this article.
What this page can't tell you
- Guidance is general. Identification, treatment choice and timescales can only be confirmed by a site visit — photographs alone are indicative.
- Lender and insurer requirements vary by institution and change over time. We state what is typically accepted, not what any named lender will accept on your case.
- Guarantee (IBG) eligibility depends on the plan chosen, the survey findings and the underwriter's acceptance. It is not automatic.
- Legal points summarise published law and guidance current at the review date. They are not legal advice.
Last reviewed · Questions on anything stated here: 07582 869979
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