Japanese knotweed :-(

Miss_Ratty

So we aren't thinking of selling, but will be renewing our mortgage soon. At the rear of our property is farmland that was recently sold off to a property development company, and a few weeks ago one of the trees close to our property fell, narrowly missing the shed at the bottom of the garden. After no response from the developers, I cut the part of the tree off that was in our garden andleaning on our fence and shed. As I was cleaning the mess yesterday, I noticed what appeared to be, and looking online, I'm convinced is Japanese Knotweed, growing about a metre behind our next door neighbour's garden (not in their garden but on the land owned by the developer).

Now, the offending plant is about three or four metres tall, so must have been there a while. We have lived in our house for two years, and the same company who did the survey ar the same company who will refuse a mortgage if your property boundary is within 7 metres of said plant.

I'm having a bit of a quandry as to whether to tell the neighbours before reporting it, as it will affect them more, and wondered if I can report it anonymously. Added to this the next door neighbours have a severely autistic son, who does not cope well with change (including changes to the garden etc.) and I feel I must tell them so they can prepare him as they will probably need to change the landscape quite a bit at the rear to eradicate it. The back of the houses are quite thick with trees etc., so any work might affect this.

We're due to renew our mortgage soon to get a better rate, and are concerned as to how it will affect us, especially given our provider's stance on knotweed, even though it would have been in full bloom when they surveyed the house initially. It didn't show up on our survey, but I don't think we paid for the most detailed one. Should things like that show up?

Hubby has a photo of the garden from just after we moved in, and you can see it is already there, but I didn't even know what it looked like before, and my awareness was only raised recently as our parents-in-law have a similar issue. (Except the land owned behind them is council/highways agency and noone has even acknowledged their notification of it yet and that was a few months ago!)

Just looking for advice/experience really. How to notify the neighbours delicately, how to formally notify the landowner, what sort of treatment is needed to eradicate it, who is responsible for the costs, how it might impact the surrounding trees etc. as well as mortgage issues!

Thanking you all in advance x

Davesnave

The developer will not be able to build there until an eradication programme has been agreed with the council.

It's likely they'll know it's there, but you could make sure by informing both them and the local planning dept.

If the plant isn't in the neighbour's garden yet, they should take photos etc to prove this, although it sounds like it may be overgrown. If it spreads from the developer's land, the latter will have to bear the cost, but it seems likely they'll attend to it it, depending on their time scale for developing the land, of course.

fashionvictim

Renewing your mortgage as in - fixing it again once it drops off a fixed rate ? If it's with the same lender not borrowing any more then they are not going to survey you surely ?

If you remortgage as in change to a new company they would survey or if you wanted to borrow more.

I don't know if lenders have a knotweed data base? Who knows?

I very much doubt a developer would buy land with knotweed as can take 5 years to get rid of it. It's not an easy thing to get rid of and the roots grow out which is why your gardens would be affected if it is the knotweed.

Davesnave

fashionvictim wrote: »

I very much doubt a developer would buy land with knotweed as can take 5 years to get rid of it.

Five years is nothing to some developers and blighted land is cheaper than the alternatives.

The time to eradicate depends on the methods used and how entrenched it is, neither of which we know. Indeed, we don't even know the size of the site.

moneyistooshorttomention

fashionvictim wrote: »

I very much doubt a developer would buy land with knotweed as can take 5 years to get rid of it. .

Oh yes some of them would.

There's one that has bought land in my vicinity that was well-known as in an area likely to have JK on it and I had spotted the JK myself.

They are now building there. I "think" they are spraying it...:cool: - but I do know I spotted it in full flower only last year.

Though, goodness knows, they are upsetting the locals generally with their level of irresponsibility.

fashionvictim

moneyistooshorttomention wrote: »

Oh yes some of them would.

There's one that has bought land in my vicinity that was well-known as in an area likely to have JK on it and I had spotted the JK myself.

They are now building there. I "think" they are spraying it...:cool: - but I do know I spotted it in full flower only last year.

Though, goodness knows, they are upsetting the locals generally with their level of irresponsibility.

Ohhh no really I always thought Japanese knotweed meant no Developers would touch it .. How would people get mortgages on builds in an area with it as I thought it had to prove to be clear for years (due to its potential to lay dormant )

warehouse

It's not too difficult to get rid of within a few years. There are a few threads on this site about that.

davidmcn

fashionvictim wrote: »

Ohhh no really I always thought Japanese knotweed meant no Developers would touch it .. How would people get mortgages on builds in an area with it as I thought it had to prove to be clear for years (due to its potential to lay dormant )

Like either types of contamination it'll be covered by a planning condition requiring it to be remedied. I think lenders are satisfied in the knowledge that it's been identified and is being dealt with.

Chanes

It's a plant, I wouldn't want it but cut off daylight to it and it will die spray it with weed killer and it will die. Basically, you can kill it with persistence of treatment, it's just destructive if left unchecked.

Hoof_Hearted

Are you sure it is knotweed? There are similar-looking plants. One clue is the leaves. Are they opposite each other on the stem or are they alternate, like a zig-zag. The latter is knotweed. If it's at the bottom of your garden, don't panic. It can be treated and there are professional companies who will do this for you.

If it was me, I wouldn't tell the mortgage company when renewing the mortgage. However, I would tell the neighbours.