Who knows about Japanese Knotweed?

[LittleBrownFrog]

Short story...
The house we're buying has Japanese knotweed all along the back boundary. We've been refused a mortgage because of it.
We didn't notice when we viewed the property, but Dad and I have just been down to look (the house is empty at the moment, so we were naughty & went round with the camera to see what we could see) - there's a lot of it, some quite close to the house (within the 30 foot range that seems to be the 'danger zone' from my quick g00gling). The vast majority of it looks to be only a week or so's worth of growth (which is why we didn't notice it when we viewed), and there are three relatively big clumps (one in each back corner, one in the middle of the back boundary wall) that are maybe 3ft high and about 1ft across.
The vendors have told the estate agent that they knew about the knotweed, that it was there when they bought the house (5 or so years ago) and that they had 'dealt with it' - obviously not the case. The big clump in one corner has some stems that have obviously been treated with something, and are therefore dead, but the crowns still have plenty of living knotweed.

Really I think I'm asking if anyone has experience with dealing with knotweed? Our mortgage advisor is going to see if he can find another lender. We're negotiating the price down anyway (because of other things shown up by the survey) - not sure how much we need to factor in for dealing with knotweed

Any words of wisdom will be much appreciated.

[rhubarb93]

I know quite a lot about this - researched it when we found we had it in the garden of some sheltered housing I was managing.
It is incredibly invasive and fast-growing. It travels underground and will come up through concrete and house foundations, causing much damage.
My Brother-in-law used to be a research chemist working in pesticides, and on his advice I painted the knotweed with double-strength Glyphosate. Didn't kill it - it came back strong as ever.
There are also restrictions on how you get rid of it - you are not supposed to put it into the general rubbsih as it will colonise dump sites. You have to compost it on-site.
The only way to deal with it seems to be to call in specialists (at quite a cost), so I'd think carefully before going ahead with the purchase and at least get some quotes to eradicate it.
Sorry to be so negative.

[LittleBrownFrog]

Thank you :)

[Maggie1]

There was a thing about Knotweed on Countryfile not long back. They had part of a National Trust area with it. They found the only way they could rid of it was to cut down and inject a really strong weedkiller into the cane like shoot. Each shoot had to be injected and it was very expensive but the only way they could get rid of it. They also burnt the stuff they cut off.

[madmum]

Can you negotiate with the vendors to share the cost of removing it?Or rather having it removed?

[LittleBrownFrog]

Yes I think that's the route we'll take (especially as they knew about the knotweed and would appear to have made deliberate attempts to conceal the problem). I'm getting the sinking feeling that we'll have to walk away from this one though

[manda]

Found these on the net
http://www.musketeers-group.com/

Might be an idea to contact them and see how efficiently it can be removed and what the success rate of it staying removed.
I wouldn'tbe paying towards it - if they want to sell the house they will have to get shot of it and show they have to anyone else - they will need to disclose it to anyone who comes to view the house in the future as it is now an known problem (or it will cmoe back and bite them)...unless the UK selling rules have changed in the last 7 years.

Personally if there is even the slightest doubt I would walk away ...it's not meant to be

[LittleBrownFrog]

Thanks Manda :)
I've been in touch with a few similar companies this morning. Consensus seems to be that they can't give much advice without seeing the extent (as is to be expected I suppose) - can't get hold of anyone local to us though.
I need to find out from the vendors what they've been doing to control it, and over how long. I'd misunderstood how long they'd been in the property - it's only three years, so *if* we can get assurances that they've been handling it appropriately over a couple of years, then we should be taking on a winning battle.
At the moment this is the only suitable house in the area ... buying anything else will mean giving up the chooks, giving up the idea of fostering and giving up the ability to care for my Grandma at home. eeek!

I have to admit, I'm wondering how long the knotweed would last if it was encloed inside a chicken run?

[Maggie1]

Never thought about that. Why not test the waters and pick some and give it to your girls if they ignore it don't buy the house.
How long has the house been on the market? When we were selling our house in Kent we had to have an enviromental check and certificate which lasted a year. It cost us over £400 for a bloke to come round and measure and look to see what light bulbs we had in. However he also asked if there was problems in the house/garden which should also go down on the list. I seem to think that check has been stopped now but it would be interesting to know if it was listed.

[LittleBrownFrog]

House has been on the market a while ... the thing is, we're already getting a *very* good deal on it in terms of house size, land, area etc. The couple who own it have already moved to Singapore though, so I'm hoping they're willing to just stump up cash for whatever is needed and/or drop the price just to get it sold.
I loathe buying and selling houses won't be doing it again after this time!

[Homemade]

I thought knotweed was a notifiable weed. The weed must be killed and destroyed and the soil treated as contaminated. On a program the other day contractors were shown sieving the soil to ensure no fragments left.
As the vendors knew they had it I should definately see if you can get them to pay / reduce the price. Might need to check with lawyers about it.

[LittleBrownFrog]

It's not notifiable as far as I can find out. There are stringent rules regarding the disposal of it (you can't compost it, need permission to send it to landfill, but it can be burned on-site once it is dead). My surveyor has just been in touch & he is going to make enquiries on our behalf - apparently he knows of some contractors who have carried out work locally for the National Trust - so we'll get some quotes & take it from there.

[Steve the Gas]

I hope you resolve this - it sounds like the place for you....

[LittleBrownFrog]

Thanks Steve

[abbottmorris]

Japanese Knotweed are invasive weeds. these are commonly grow from a thick, woody stem. You can also say that its a type of a plant that grow quickly. Japanese Knotweed should be eliminate, because its also impact the health.

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