Japanese Knotweed found on House Survey

[Biscuit2027]

Hi all!

I’m hoping for some advice from anyone that has gone through the same situation! We’re in the middle of buying a property and new Japanese Knotweed was found in our survey which appears to have come from the property next door. It looks like our mortgage offer will still stand based on the treatment plan put in place by the seller.

We now need to negotiate a reduction on house price based on the effect the knotweed could have on the re-sell value. What sort of % reduction would you accept?

thanks!

The fear and stigma seems to be real based on this thread!! So even if the knotweed isn’t affecting the property, has a management and eradication plan in place (paid for by the seller) you wouldn’t still buy the house at 15-20% off?

Yes, listen very carefully.

Run from z knotweed.

I'm be found Japanese knotweed much easier to get rid of than I expected given the angst around it. Treated it and it still hasn't returned three years later

Jesus Christ.

We had knotweed - yes it was a bit of a shitter when we came to sell. However we sold for asking by a) getting the excavation work done before we left and b) having an ongoing treatment plan which also covered the neighbouring property.

We sold 5 years ago and it's just sold about a year ago for a healthy profit.

So many properties in London are affected no one would ever move if people weren't pragmatic about it (and cases of it actually causing damage to buildings are exaggerated)

I mean we sold 5 years again and it's sold again to a new owner last year (owners who bought from us outgrew after 2 kids)

Bamboo is way worse but not on the 'let's freak out' list...

Absolute nonsense. London is full of it. You need a treatment plan in place thatcovers 3-5 years and an indemnity insurance plan. You need to know what it looks like and keep an eye. % 10? See if they accept?

London isn't the UK and people who live there accept all sorts of shit while paying over the odds. In the rest of the country where housing demand isn't as eyewateringly competitive (you avoid houses with knotweed/damp//bamboo/asbestos. You don't marvel at what a bargain it was to be 15 miles from zone 12.

I wouldn’t touch it with a barge pole in that circumstance unfortunately

Argue for a discount and buy it. There is no way knotweed will cause any damage now you know it’s there and can treat it. Obviously when you come to sell, if it’s still there, you’ll need to discount also.

@mybeesarealive but my point is, we treated it, it's gone, 5 years are passed and now subsequent sellers don't have to worry about it.

The house is still standing too!

Sure. It worked out for you. That doesn't mean it's simple to fix for everyone. It's risk. And your house is the most expensive thing you will buy.

When you sell, you will have to be honest and declare it, and it may still affect re-sale value.

Knotweed removal companies like to scare the pants off home owners

I agree with posters who have said that the knotweed itself is manageable and probably not that big of a deal if it's a) being dealt with appropriately and b) not too close to the house.

However, you have to declare it has been affected by knotweed when you come to sell, and from what I can gather that lasts basically for ever. As you can see from this thread, that puts a significant number of people off immediately so it reduces your pool of potential buyers. For that reason I think it is very reasonable to negotiate a price reduction of whatever you feel like going for. The seller will know that they'll have the same issue with any buyer so they are likely to be receptive.

It’s absolutely endemic in south east London. I know a few people who have it and none have had trouble buying and selling with treatment plans in place.

I like the scent of them and always keep some in my kitchen.

You keep Japanese knotweed in your kitchen?

If it was at the bottom of the garden and entirely on land I owned then I might take the chance. Once it has been treated though you cannot cultivate or disturb that land as the treatment tends to make it hibernate rather than kill it and disturbance reactivates the rhizomes. If it’s nearer tor the house and the infestation involves land that other people own then it will be a constant source of stress for you and I would walk away.

Lots of strong reactions here. What did the original poster do?

There's a report from RICS on knotweed which seems to suggest that knotweed is (i) exaggerated as a threat to structures and (ii) manageable.

www.rics.org/content/dam/ricsglobal/documents/standards/Japanese%20knotweed_October%202022.pdf

I bought a house with knotweed in the garden (just 3 stems) and treated it and now it is gone.

I'd only worry if the knotweed is in a neighbouring garden and the neighbour refuses to treat. Because then you can't eliminate it.