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Selling Problem Properties: How to Sell a House with Japanese Knotweed
If you have a house with a Japanese Knotweed problem it could knock thousands off its value – and even make it impossible to sell. Here’s our guide to getting rid of Japanese Knotweed, and how to sell your house quickly for cash even if it has Japanese Knotweed.
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What is Japanese Knotweed?
Japanese Knotweed is a large, herbaceous perennial plant from the knotweed family. Its scientific names are Fallopia Japonica or Reynoutria Japonica. Other common names for Japanese Knotweed include Sally Rhubarb, Donkey Rhubarb or German Sausage!
A Sprig of Fallopia Japonica (Japanese Knotweed)
Where Does it Come From?
Japanese Knotweed comes from East Asian countries including Japan, China and Korea. The Victorians imported it into Britain as an ornamental plant for parks and gardens. Since then it has become wild and grown out of control.
Why is it Such a Big Problem?
Japan Knotweed grows quickly and aggressively – so aggressively that it is now considered to be a seriously invasive weed.
The World Conservation Union (IUCN) puts Japanese Knotweed in the top 100 world’s worst invasive alien species.
In the UK, Japanese Knotweed spreads through its rhizome or underground stem system. Japanese Knotweed rhizomes can grow one metre in a month. The rhizomes can spread 7 metres from the centre of the plant and 3 metres deep.
A new Japanese Knotweed plant can grow from a tiny 10mm section of cut rhizome. Rhizomes can even remain dormant in the soil for 20 years before they spring into life again.
How to Identify Japanese Knotweed
Japanese Knotweed plants have arching, hollow bamboo-like stems covered in purple speckles reaching up to 3m high. Ace-of-spades-shaped leaves grow from the stems in a zig-zag pattern. Lace-like white flowers appear in the late summer and early autumn.
Japanese Knotweed dies back to dry, brown canes in winter and sprouts again the next spring.
This guide from the Royal Horticultural Society (RHS) can help you identify Japanese Knotweed.
Japanese Knotweed Flowers
Where is it Found?
As the Victorians cultivated Japanese Knotweed it is most frequently a problem near Victorian buildings. Japanese Knotweed was also used to stabilise railway embankments, canal and river banks, steep slopes and cliffs. So houses near these places are more likely to be at risk.
Japanese Knotweed spreads so easily though it can be found anywhere – even in new houses.
If you have a problem with Japanese Knotweed and need to sell your property we can put you in touch with one of our partners who will buy properties in any condition for 100% market value in just 28 days. Click here to find out more.
The Risks
You may already have Japanese Knotweed on your property but haven’t identified it yet.
Your neighbours may have Japanese Knotweed on their property, which could still affect your house sale – and vice versa.
Your neighbours may have Japanese Knotweed on their property, which could still affect your house sale – and vice versa.
You may have inherited a property with Japanese Knotweed. If you have inherited a property, perhaps from a deceased estate, it’s a good idea to check for Japanese Knotweed.
Can it Really Destroy a House?
In some cases, house owners have been advised to demolish their house to solve the Japanese Knotweed problem.
Most cases are not quite as serious, but Japanese Knotweed’s root system can cause heave, grow through cracks in brick, stone and concrete, penetrate roads and paths, and damage drains, watercourses, garages and conservatories. Japanese Knotweed can also completely overgrow the average domestic garden in a season or two and render it unusable.
The Law
Japanese Knotweed is one of a number of invasive weeds which are controlled by the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981. While it’s not illegal just to have it on your property it is a criminal offence to ‘plant or cause to grow’ Japanese Knotweed.
Japanese Knotweed waste is also regarded as controlled waste under the Environmental Protection Act 1990 and can only be disposed of at a licensed waste disposal site.
You could be fined £5,000 or be sent to prison for up to 2 years if you break these laws.
Further Issues
It can make your house unmortgageable and unsaleable. If Japanese Knotweed is found on or even near a property there is a risk that banks and building societies won’t give a mortgage on the property – or will only give a mortgage once the Japanese Knotweed has been treated.
This could mean that no one buying with a mortgage will be able to buy your house.
Your insurance won’t help. But most buildings insurance will not pay for Japanese Knotweed to be removed or to repair any structural damage it causes.
Japanese Knotweed can lead to disputes with neighbours. Japanese Knotweed can easily breach fences and walls. It often isn’t clear where it has come from, and so who is responsible for paying to get rid of it.
Japanese Knotweed is difficult, time-consuming and expensive to get rid of. It cost £70 million to clear invasive weeds from the London Olympic Park. It can cost upwards of £10,000 to clear it from a household garden and take up to five years.
Infected Area
Is the Problem being Exaggerated?
In 2012 the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors (RICS) issued guidance to their members which has come to be known as the seven-metre proximity rule. This guidance says that if Japanese Knotweed is detected within seven metres of a property it requires further investigation by a qualified, experienced person. Although this guidance has since been withdrawn the seven-metre rule still carries some weight with surveyors and mortgage lenders.
Recently, a report by the House of Commons Science and Technology Committee has said that this guidance should never have been used because it is not based on any scientific evidence. They have said that mortgage lenders are being overly cautious regarding the risk Japanese Knotweed poses, although they acknowledge that it can cause damage to property.
This article from The Telegraph looks at whether Japanese Knotweed is wrongly destroying the value of homes because of discredited scientific evidence.
How to Get Rid of Japanese Knotweed
The do it yourself method: While DIY treatment of Japanese Knotweed is possible it is usually not recommended. You would have to dig out the entire area, remove the roots, burn them or take them to a licensed waste disposal site and then treat the area with herbicide (weed killer).
Apart from the hard work involved mortgage lenders won’t accept this as proof that the Japanese Knotweed has been fully destroyed.
Crazy but true! You could also try cooking and eating your Japanese Knotweed.
Professional removal of Japanese Knotweed: Methods used by professional Japanese Knotweed removal companies include excavating the site, removing the rhizomes and burning them on-site or removing them to a disposal site, and the use of a herbicide. Some methods of treatment include containing the roots or waste with a root proof membrane.
You can find details of specialist Japanese Knotweed removal companies from The Property Care Association.
Knotweed and Mortgages
If Japanese Knotweed is found on or near your property there are several things a mortgage company may expect before they will consider offering a mortgage to a buyer:
A professional Japanese Knotweed survey to identify the extent of the problem. And for a treatment and management plan to be produced.
Treatment and disposal by a recognised Japanese Knotweed removal company.
Ongoing inspection and treatment over a number of years to stop regrowth.
An insurance backed guarantee, possibly for 10 years, which is transferable to future owners.
Checklist: How to Sell a House with Japanese Knotweed
What happens when Japanese Knotweed is discovered? When you try to sell your house the buyer’s surveyor will check for invasive weeds. If Japanese Knotweed is seen he or she will note this in the Homebuyer’s Report or valuation survey.
Do you need to tell the buyer you have Japanese Knotweed? Yes, you do. The buyer’s solicitor will send you a Law Society Property Information Form TA6 to complete giving various information about your home. Question 7.8 specifically asks if Japanese Knotweed is present and if you give inaccurate information you could be sued for compensation.
Will the buyer be able to get a mortgage? It depends on their mortgage lender: Some will turn them down flat, others will impose conditions. The risk is that the extra hassle and cost will mean your buyer will just walk away and your sale will fall through.
What should I do if I have Japanese Knotweed? Take advice from a specialist Japanese Knotweed treatment and removal company. They’ll be able to assess the situation and give you an estimate of the cost to treat your Japanese Knotweed.
How long will treatment take? This will depend on the size of the problem. Bear in mind it may take many months for the problem to be assessed before treatment can begin. Declaring the site free of Japanese Knotweed could take several years in the extreme. Plan well ahead!
Selling a Property Without Solving the Problem
Ways to successfully sell your house with a Japanese Knotweed problem and without having to cure it first include selling it at auction or selling it direct to a cash buyer.
If you sell at an auction you’ll still need to declare the Japanese Knotweed in the legal pack. There’s still a risk your house could sell for a lot less than you were hoping for at the auction, or even not sell at all.
If you sell to a cash buyer they won’t need a mortgage and so a bank or building society won’t be able to delay or stop the sale. They’ll be able to offer you a fixed cash price and guaranteed completion. Your house will be sold, the cash will be in the bank and your Japanese Knotweed problem solved within a few short weeks.
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