You’ve seen the news, you know that knotweed is a serious problem. But what do you need to do about it?
Knotweed can be incredibly destructive and expensive to remove if left unchecked. It’s important to get a knotweed inspection so that your property is inspected as soon as possible so you can take action before it gets out of control.
How to identify knotweed on your property
The first step is having a knotweed inspection done by professionals who know what they’re looking for when identifying knotweeds (you’ll want them to look at both the soil and any plants growing there). They will then report back their findings and give suggestions based on those findings as well as the severity of the infestation. These inspectors can also assess whether or not the Knotweed is treatable.
If knotweed is deemed to be invasive, then you’re in one of two categories: either you’ve got it on your own property and around your home, or someone else’s property (and potentially surrounding your client’s home). If the infestation was caused by your client, then they may want to address it themselves.
However, if the knotweed infestation is attributed to you, then you’ll likely need to hire professionals to come in and remove it – assuming that there isn’t any remediation on the horizon for your client. If this is the case, they will usually specify an exclusion zone around their home where no Knotweed should be allowed to grow.
What you should do after the inspection is complete
Depending on the severity of the Knotweed infestation, it is typically advised that you leave a buffer zone around the property when trying to sell a home with knotweed on it. For example, if your client’s house is in an ideal location but they’ve got this weed problem at their back door, then you might want to consider using this as one of your negotiating points.
You can inform potential buyers that they’ll have to move some soil, tear out the knotweed and then backfill with fresh soil if they want to grow anything in that part of their yard or garden.
Remediation is a very important step in ensuring that you don’t end up with another Knotweed problem down the road.
Removing the knotweed alone will not solve the issue. Once you’ve dug up all of your Knotweed, you must remove it from your property immediately to avoid having another outbreak. This means that if you are working with a company to assist in removing this weed, you must make sure they are aware of this rule. If you simply dump the knotweed in a landfill, it will continue to grow and spread. This is illegal.
Reasons to get a knotweed inspection done
You should consider getting a knotweed inspection done by professionals to ascertain the extent of knotweed infestation in your house so that appropriate measures can be taken to eradicate them from your place. Here’s why:
1. Knotweed is capable of causing structural damage to buildings in a matter of two-five years if left unchecked
2. It carries with it a huge price tag which you may have to bear when the knotweed starts growing into your house foundations or cracks its walls etc. Here are a few things that knotweed can damage:
- Roads and pavements
- Utility services such as water, electricity or gas supplies
- Levees and flood defences
- Dams and reservoirs
- River banks and coastal defences etc.
The damage caused by knotweed can be so much that sometimes it becomes necessary to demolish the building in which they have encroached and then rebuild it elsewhere.
3. Knotweed is a menace in the UK and if one does not take appropriate measures to control its spread, it can cause major environmental problems in all regions of the country. It basically belongs to Asia and grows very quickly between 4-16 inches or 10-40 cm per year. However, there are other reasons why you should get your house inspected for knotweed;
- They are capable of growing through concrete and tarmac.
- They have rhizomes that can grow up to 3 metres in length, but their extensive roots could go even further.
- Knotweed is a nuisance when it comes to rockeries and other landscaping projects because it can get very difficult to remove them completely from these places.
- According to experts, if left uncontrolled, a single plant of knotweed could cause up to ÂŁ2000 worth of damage within 2-3 years and this is something that has been proved by a lot of scientific studies.
In conclusion
Why you need a professional knotweed inspection of your property
A professional knotweed inspection will help you identify if there is any problem with your property before it’s too late. It will also give you an idea of how much time and money it might take to fix these problems. This way, you can negotiate for better terms or walk away from the deal altogether without losing out on anything.
Want to know more about getting a knotweed inspection done?
Knotweed Removal aims to provide the most up-to-date information, help and advice for YOU to make informed decisions. If you are unsure or uncertain about how to proceed, please reach out to us and we will gladly come back and advise you as best we can.
Governmental advice can be found here and the UK law covering the removal of Japanese Knotweed as stated under the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981 can be found here.
The best means to contact us is via our email – hello@knotweedremoval.tips
Do not forget we have a library of blogs covering many areas relevant to Japanese Knotweed, our free downloadable How-to Guides and Product Reviews on the latest methods being employed to eradicate or remove Japanese Knotweed.
Knotweed Removal, UK
