Around 2010, stakeholders collaborated to develop a process that would ensure mortgage lenders and investors that homes with Japanese Knotweed were not too dangerous to touch. As a result of the process, numerous recommendations were made that needed to be addressed:

  • Any treatment programme should be covered so that the infestation is addressed even if the contractor goes out of business.
  • All expenditures related to the management plan must be paid ‘up-front’ by the present owner, so that the treatment programme may be completed without relying on financial assistance from future owners.
  • Any future owners should be able to carry on the management plan.
  • Not simply the property being sold or the parts specified by the original valuer or surveyor, but the entire infestation should be covered by the management plan.

When it comes to Japanese Knotweed on your property, it’s critical to understand and follow all current legislation. Particularly when it comes to selling or purchasing a home.

In the treatment of Japanese Knotweed and other invasive species, Knotweed Removal follows all current legislation and best practice requirements. The following is a list of publications that Knotweed Removal has consulted as a source of information:

Property Care Association (PCA) – JAPANESE KNOTWEED CODE OF PRACTICE

Royal Institute of Chartered Surveyors (RICS) – INFORMATION PAPER ON JAPANESE KNOTWEED [2012]

Herbicides for Knotweed control should be used, stored, and transported in the following ways:

Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (DEFRA) – CODE OF PRACTICE FOR USING PLANT PROTECTION PRODUCTS

Department of Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs (DAERA) – CODE OF PRACTICE FOR THE APPLICATION OF PLANT PROTECTION PRODUCTS

Crop Protection Association – AMENITY BEST PRACTICE: USING PESTICIDES IN THE COMMUNITY

Health and Safety Executive (HSE) – USING PESTICIDES AND GETTING A PLANT PROTECTION PRODUCT TO MARKET