Japanese knotweed
Did the 2022 RICS knotweed standard keep the seven-metre rule?
No. The RICS property journal says the 2022 standard replaced that distance-based approach. Off-site growth is reported under category D when it is within three metres of the boundary, not seven. On the property, the question is the impact: damage, amenity, or management.
Last reviewed 24 October 2026. Written for buyers in England and Wales unless this answer says otherwise. No named surveyor has signed this page. It is general guidance, not a report on your house, and not legal advice.
What is the fuller explanation?
People still repeat “seven metres” because the 2012 information paper used it. The journal of 21 March 2022 is explicit that the blunt instrument was replaced and that the off-site distance used for categorising was cut to three metres. If a report in front of you still talks only in metres, ask the surveyor whether they applied the 2022 categories.
A mortgage valuation and a home survey can use the same RICS standard when the member is reporting knotweed. Read which document you have. A private seller’s email saying “it is eight metres away so it does not count” is not the standard. Identification still matters: several plants are mistaken for knotweed. The surveyor should say how confident they are.
What should you ask your surveyor?
- Which edition are you applying, the 2022 categories or an older distance test?
- If you measured, what did you measure, and could you see the boundary clearly?
- How sure are you that the plant is Japanese knotweed?
What are the typical next steps?
- If the report uses seven metres, ask the firm to confirm the basis in writing.
- Do not rely on a seller’s tape measure.
- Read categories A to D in these questions before you negotiate.
Costs vary with the building and with who you instruct. Where this page does not cite a published figure, ask the surveyor, a relevant specialist, or your solicitor for a written quote. Do not treat a forum average as the price.
Also asked about this
Does government guidance still use seven metres?
Government guidance is about not causing spread and about disposal. The management categories are the RICS professional standard. Use each document for what it is.
Is three metres a safe distance to plant a shed?
No. Three metres is the off-site reporting distance in the journal’s account of category D. It is not a gardening clearance.