Knotweed Please Help

[AreWeStuck]

I'm panicking completely at the moment.

We have a lovely flat that we have lived in for a long time, and spent a lot of money renovating and improving. However it's just too small for our family now and so we have gone on the market. We've had a decent amount of interest and have some second viewings lined up.

A colleague at work mentioned pulling out of a flat purchase because there was knotweed flagged on the TA6 form, and the seller's management company hadn't started a treatment plan (despite having a quote in place for a year).

We live next a HA property. The back garden is fenced off from the house and has been allowed to grow into disrepair. Last year we noticed a big plant growing quite close to our fence and realised it was Knotweed.

We contacted the HA about that (and the trees that had been allowed to grow) and were informed in writing that an eradication and management programme would be put in place.

Anyway I kind of forgot about it. We've gone on the market in the meantime. However I've noticed over last few days since all the leaves have come out in full force that the knotweed has regrown so it looks like they haven't started the programme. What's worse is I've seen a stem coming under our fence at the back of our garden.

Now I know we have to disclose this on the TA6 form. What can we realistically do at this point? I have already contacted a PCA approved contractor and we will be more than willing to pay for the treatment plan and guarantee. I've also contact the HA to say they haven't treated it and to ask them to confirm when the treatment programme will commence. But what they do is obviously out of my hands to a certain extent.

What else can we realistically do? are we doomed trying to sell our place? I know that mortgage companies will now accept a PCA treatment plan, but will any buyer touch our place with a bargepole?

FYI we are in London and there is a lot of knotweed in the area, so I'm assuming this isn't an uncommon issue.

I want to try and do the right thing here, but I am feeling so anxious that we will be stuck and unable to move. please help.

AreWeStuck

Speak to the neighbours and explain the situation. It'll be beneficial (and cheaper) to all parties concerned if you all get a joint treatment plan.

If your neighbours don't want to treat theirs, you have several options.

1. You pay for treatment on their land.
2. You put a root barrier in your property and treat yours.
3. You treat yours and if any comes back your neighbours will be liable. The Knotweed company should be able to send a letter to neighbours informing them of this. This often prompts neighbours into action.

Sorry not been clear - the neighbour with the terrible JKW problem is a housing association. They are aware as have been told at least twice over last 2 years. Last year when we told them we have in writing that they were starting a treatment and eradication plan.

I spoke to them Friday and was told this hasn’t happened. Apparently there is a contractor coming to do a site visit and will call me tomorrow. However given their general shitness I don’t hold out too much hope of this being a quick process. Their neighbours on the other side (2 doors down from us) also have knotweed growing at their boundary, hence I was going to speak to them about also putting pressure on.

The big issue, that would probably prohibit us cost wise from being able to treat the land, is that the land has been allowed to grow wild for the past 8 years. There are now huge trees growing and the whole area is growing wild. It’s hard to see how much of this is affected by knotweed. But the whole things needs clearing. The trees are growing over our fence too (again, which we informed them) and I know we have a nuisance case against them because of this.

They clearly do not give a shit about this building and it’s land at all. It’s a total disgrace.

So the way I se it, we can treat our land. But next door will continue to be an issue. Unless we get a barrier but that would see to mean digging up our garden along the boundary?

I’m good for a fight and perhaps even taking legal action against the Josue f association.
However that doesn’t solve our immediate issue of trying to sell.

I feel we should come off market, give ourselves another 2 years to try and get the situation sorted/under control. DH thanks I’m overthinking this and won’t counter it.

AreWeStuck

Yes, you'd have to dig the root barrier in your land by the boundary. There's a potential you'd have to go down 3m, but it'll more likely be in the region of 1.5m.

With JKW that close it'll be a tough sell without any answers or plans in place. Personally I'd take it off the market until you've resolved the issues.

A solicitors letter with a survey of your land works wonders in scaring neighbours into action.

AreWeStuck - just to add to other's suggestions, based on a friend's very recent home selling experience of a poperty with a history of JKW, do ensure that whoever does treat the weed gives an insurance backed guarantee.
Friends had theirs successfully treated (very small patch) but ran into problems with their buyer's mortgage company, as they only had a guarantee from the company that did the treatment.
They did eventually get round this issue, for a price, by involving another company to come and survey the plot and then they provided my pals with an insurance backed guarantee.
Good luck.
Hope you manage to get it sorted.

We backed out of a purchase because the vendors weren’t honest about the extent of the JKW infestation.

My advice would be to ensure there is a management plan for the treatment with a guarantee (usually five years of treatment and ten year guarantee) in place. This is the responsibility of the HA although you may need some solicitor correspondence to them to get it. That gives you the basis to say things are being sorted to any potential purchasers. In flats it will become the responsibility of all the owners if this is allowed to grow beyond being the HA’s problem so get them on board with contacting the HA. This needs sorting so you can sell your flat with a good management plan in place.

Good point made by Wingedharpy.

Make sure you use a PCA approved company. Not only do PCA approved companies have the qualifications to please the mortgage companies, but through the PCA they can offer an insurance backed guarantees if needed.

I live mid-terrace.

The guy who owned the house on my right, put his house on the market.

It got as far as potential buyer putting an offer in and getting a survey done when the offer was withdrawn due to knotweed.

5 doors down on my left.

Again, a combination of private and housing authority lettings, the housing association are the most useless muppets.

The house on my right had to put his house in an auction where it was bought by a money launderer for a gang of fraudsters who scammed pensioners out of their life savings using the courier scam

It's edible, tastes like rhubarb, make it all into crumble (sorry, not helpful!)

No plan, I tried digging some of it up.

Oh boy, this plant is the gift that keeps on giving!

There are football sized rootballs that do their damdest to stay where they've grow. The white 'shooting' roots are quite fragile so have to be lifted out with some delicacy and the stems consist of bamboo-like airtight cells.

The roots extend far, far beyond the stems visible on the surface.

Burning (because you can't just put it in a bin) it causes the airtight cells to pop open spitting hot sap all over the place.

Leaving the plants to die on a sheet of galvanised zinc that blew in from a gale leaves the airtight cells intact.

When you burn those they crack and pop with such explosive force, the whole fire stack blows and rolls around.

I informed the landlords of the properties round mine and they haven't done a damn thing. 😡

I just make sure it's not on my land.

My partner used to have j knotweed on his property with similar circumstances to you, except problem was a private landlord, but eventually he sold at auction for a bit of a reduced price. There is a lot of hype about it growing through concrete, but my partner just cut it back for 10 years and it was never really a huge problem apart from when he wanted to sell (it is a bit annoying to manage but stops growing in winter). It was coming from another property so he couldn't do proper eradication. I read somewhere from an expert that it is 'not house cancer' and mortgage companies and people are overreacting a lot about it (mainly due to the press). My partner managed it for years by just cutting it back in summer and burning it. It was just part of his usual gardening. So will it devastate a house?.. No. Will be be a pita to deal with each summer?.. Yes. Main problem is mortgage lenders.

Well spoken to another expert today and they said that as long as we treat ours with pca back contractor with a 10 year guarantee, and then ensure the HA treats their side (she said a blanket spray over the whole garden would be the best way) then that should be enough. Hopefully can start treatment next month after parting with £1000s for it

The HA has responded today and said that a contractor will be out so I think we need to continue to exert pressure and hopefully they will actually do it this time!

AreWeStuck

I'd initially go for a 5 year plan. You can extend to 10 years of needed. Most mortgage companies are happy with 5.

No point paying for 5 years of monitoring if you don't need it.