The dreaded Japanese knotweed

[Livingintheclouds]

After losing two houses due to seller being ill and withdrawing and another not funding an onward purchase and me withdrawing (and seller now taking house of the market), both after spending thousands on getting searches and surveys, I'm getting desperate. I'm moving some distance for school, have already completed on my sale and am in a holiday let costing me £££ (it was only to be for the two or three weeks before purchase).
Tomorrow we go see a house just come back to the market. It's near the last house, so I know the area and it's a grid of Victorian terraces so they are all pretty much same layout.
The EA says there was a small amount of Japanese knotweed found by previous survey (this is not the main reason the buyers pulled out). The seller immediately got it assessed and has started a treatment which comes with a transferable 10 year guarantee. I understand this is acceptable to most mortgage companies which doesn't concern me as I'm a cash buyer, but of course I will sell it at some point.
I know more recent research has said JK is not as damaging nor as invasive as previously thought, but it's reputation is such that I'm sure many would walk away just in hearing it mentioned. What are your thoughts? It doesn't bother me, but I'm just thinking down the line, probably I another five years or so, when I want to sell.

Finding, not funding!

JK is one of those things - Everyone says they would never buy a house with knotweed until they find a house that they love that has knotweed.

To be honest it depends on how much knotweed and how close to the house. Allowing it to spread is an offence, so be mindful of that, but it’s possible neighbours will already have it anyway.

Regarding onward sale, I don’t think it makes it unsaleable but it will make it a bit slower perhaps.

By a small amount - how small and is it contained entirely within the boundary? I'd be concerned in case it was spreading from an untreated patch of it on a neighbouring property.

I’d sooner buy a house with Japanese knotweed in the garden than ground elder or horsetail. Japanese knotweed is easier to kill. I’ve successfully dealt with it myself in a couple of gardens, just with bog standard glyphosate.

The only issue is if it’s coming in from next door - if you back onto a railway line with banks covered in it, for instance, then you’ll never stop it coming back.

If I even heard it mentioned I’d back off and not buy the house. It isn’t worth the hassle.

I got rid of it. It's not that bad. As others have said, it's not the worst.
Glyphosate repeated a few times for a few summers go rid of it.

If it has a guaranteed treatment plan in place you are fine.

Jk is in so many places and people have no idea - you have a plan in place which is great.

I found a house I loved. Survey found knotweed. I pulled out of the purchase. I suppose if it had been a known issue and say the problem was already dealt with 5 years ago or more, with no recurrence, i might feel ok, but it would be touch and go.

Thanks. I think it needs a good PR, as apparently there are worse plants out there but don't have the same reputation!

So true. It’s so common on new build sites as it spreads between sites. Also around old houses in town centres. Pretty much anywhere. The key is to treat it and get on with life.

I bought a flat in a converted house that had had JK identified the year before so treatment was already underway. The company did an annual or maybe even six monthly treatment / check up as required. I then sold my flat and provided all the info to the buyer. Think there was about one year left on the treatment plan but no regrowth had been seen for about two years.
As others have said, much easier to deal with if all within your boundary as then within your control.

I think in any future sale you only have to declare it if it's been seen within X number of years? So if you deal with it now it may not need to be declared in future & have no impact on any sale.

Why is it back on market if not for the knotweed?

I'm only going by what the EA said but the buyers were moving from abroad but there was a delay so pulled out. The EA was very up front about the JK.

@Livingintheclouds

I'm only going by what the EA said but the buyers were moving from abroad but there was a delay so pulled out. The EA was very up front about the JK.

The EA will be fudging as good a light on it as possible. They are legally required to disclose any reason for which prior buyers pulled out which may be relevant to the decision making of another buyer.

However, they're not legally required to make it sound negative and it sounds like they're finessing it the best they can whilst closing the door to future complaint by officially disclosing.

What would you pay good money to actually buy another person's problem from them.

We’re selling a house with knotweed. I was really worried when we put it on the market thinking people would run a mile but it has been fine, most people aren’t that bothered. We have a 5 year management plan and an insurance backed guarantee and that was enough for our buyers mortgage company. Our knotweed is sticking out of a boundary wall, not in the garden itself and is more than 7 metres itself away from the property, so that may make a difference.

From reading online, it does seem it is a lot less invasive than first feared and as long as it was being treated properly, it wouldn’t put me off buying a house.

Thanks @Gyptian that's good to hear. I looked on the knotweed map and it's everywhere in London, and most cities. The seller also has a treatment plan with ten year guarantee. I did think the property was slightly cheaper than others on the street (there's one very similar on for a whopping and unrealistic £200k more, but realistically it's probably about £20-30k below what I'd expect it to be marketed at).

When the KE has gone then you actually stand to make a good profit on it.

KW!

So viewed the hoyse today and here it is, after on treatment. They treated the other sde of the fence too though no sign of any there. It is 3m from house.

That’s too close for me. And if I had to bet I would put money on the other buyers not being able to get a mortgage. It’s being played down to you because as a cash buyer you are one of the few people who can actually buy a house and they know you are desperate.

@Livingintheclouds how was the house otherwise?

Generally 7m ish seems to be the magic number with JK. 3m away from the house and I would walk away.

I accidentally bought a property with knotweed. Was devastated when I found out.

However, my partner treated it with glyphosate (or something like that). Took two sprays and we've never seen it since. Completely wiped it out and it was really well established in that area.

It's not as bad as the doom mongers would have you believe. And don't pay thousands to a rip off merchant to treat it. If you can use a spray bottle, you can kill it yourself.

It grows, BTW, a bit like bamboo in that the plant is made up of hollow tubes. You have to spray the weedkiller down those tubes. The plant then sucks that right down to its roots and that fucks it up good and proper 👍