£200,000 knotweed payout for homeowner who found plant behind shed at dream home

£200,000 knotweed payout for homeowner who found plant behind shed at dream home

A furniture designer who bought his dream home only to find Japanese knotweed lurking behind the garden shed has successfully sued the seller for tens of thousands of pounds. Jonathan Downing, 30, bought a three-bedroom house in Raynes Park, south west London, for £700,000 from chartered accountant Jeremy Henderson, 41, in August 2018. Mr Downing, who trained at the world-renowned Chippendale International School of Furniture, planned to make his home in the Edwardian terrace, as well as building a workshop in the garden. But while tidying the garden soon after moving in, he discovered Japanese knotweed canes behind a large St John’s wort bush which was growing next to the shed. Japanese knotweed is an invasive species, notorious for its propensity to spread and cause damage to building structures, as well as the difficulty and expense of getting rid of it. Mr Downing subsequently sued the former owner, demanding he pay damages for misrepresenting whether there was knotweed at the property when he sold it. Mr Henderson had answered “no” to the question on the TA6 property information form asking if the property had been affected by knotweed and argued that he “reasonably believed” he was telling the truth when