Japanese knotweed - is it as bad of a nightmare as people say it is?

Blank11

I don’t want to be clouded in my judgement based on my emotions for liking the area and flat so looking for people’s experience and views on this. 

It has been noted that there is Japanese knotweed in the rail embankment which is a street away from the flat, so a two minute walk. Report mentions outwith distance of building but can grow vigorous and could move to the building area. Now, the seller also says a treatment plan is in place. Looking at the land register and the flats in there have all been recently sold or maybe I’m overthinking. Am I overthinking this or is it safe to buy? I am a FTB so really don’t want to be jumping in and left with negative equity. Say there is Japanese knotweed found in a house or flat - is it really that difficult to treat or once treatment is in place it won’t affect property value?

km1500

I suspect if you google the question you will find out the answer

yes it is very invasive. yes there is a specific question on the property information form asking about it and yes it can cost thousands to get rid of it.

Avoid like the plague if only because if there's even a hint of Japanese knotweed hanging about the place you will find it difficult to sell your property going forward

user1977

It's not clear from your post where the JK is - you say it's a two minute walk from the flat, but also that the seller says there's a treatment plan in place - so is it actually within the development?

Blank11

km1500 said:

I suspect if you google the question you will find out the answer

yes it is very invasive. yes there is a specific question on the property information form asking about it and yes it can cost thousands to get rid of it.

Avoid like the plague if only because if there's even a hint of Japanese knotweed hanging about the place you will find it difficult to sell your property going forward

I had some hope that Japanese knotweed may not be as bad as people make out. I really do like the area and flat but if it is going to take me to negative equity then I’d rather not. 

user1977

Blank11 said:

user1977 said:

It's not clear from your post where the JK is - you say it's a two minute walk from the flat, but also that the seller says there's a treatment plan in place - so is it actually within the development?

Sorry, for being unclear. From google map it seems the railway embankment is behind the flat. The report states “ Japanese knotweed currently out with the boundary on the rail embankment. It is currently out with influencing distance of the building” - maybe I am thick but now that I am rereading it I think maybe it could influence the flat as it is within distance? 

If it's outwith the boundary and on a (live?) rail embankment then it's presumably Network Rail's problem. How far from the development's boundary is it? Why does the seller know about the treatment plan?

elsien

Blank11 said:

km1500 said:

I suspect if you google the question you will find out the answer

yes it is very invasive. yes there is a specific question on the property information form asking about it and yes it can cost thousands to get rid of it.

Avoid like the plague if only because if there's even a hint of Japanese knotweed hanging about the place you will find it difficult to sell your property going forward

I had some hope that Japanese knotweed may not be as bad as people make out. I really do like the area and flat but if it is going to take me to negative equity then I’d rather not. 

It’s not necessarily as bad as people make out. There is Japanese knot weed in my area. Some of it seems perfectly stable and hasn’t spread in a long time. The stuff that started to come up in my neighbours garden. I’ve knocked back with weedkiller and it hasn’t come up the last couple of years although it’s likely to still be there and may start growing again if disturbed.
The problem is the horror stories in the press and people asking questions like yourself, so it does make properties hard to mortgage and it can make selling on difficult. Not because of the Japanese knot weed per se, but because of people’s perception of it.

user1977

Bear in mind that whatever the cost is of dealing with JK in communal areas, you'd only be paying x% of it (and assuming the development is factored, not even have to think about it) - bit different from having it spread into your own garden and having 100% of the costs (as well as the practicalities of sorting it out).

km1500

https://www.knotweedcompensation.com/?gad=1&gclid=EAIaIQobChMI-dmAxtjX_wIVNoBQBh24sAB0EAAYAiAAEgILVPD_BwE

saucer

There is a lot of over the top anxiety about this. My garden backs onto the railway, and there was Japanese Knotweed when we moved in adjacent to us. I killed it myself years ago using a systemic weed killer. It is a problem if it is in your garden but can be dealt with. What you are talking about is something that Network Rail should, and will, deal with. I would lose any sleep over it based on my experience and reading, despite all the alarmist comments to the contrary. (Edited after unfortunate typo was pointed out).

saucer

It’s as elsien says above. It is increasingly seen as less of a threat than its reputation. One issue with it is that it spreads from cuttings, so can be found where people have dumped garden waste etc. It’s a problem but I would think you should not let it be exaggerated.

saucer

I don’t like putting a link to the Sun, but to illustrate a point https://www.thesun.co.uk/news/22548283/warning-over-plant-worse-than-japanese-knotweed/#:~:text=Buddleia%20is%20amazingly%20prolific%20at,extend%20several%20metres%20across%20land.  Buddleia is the new knotweed. I have planted that in my garden. So much nonsense:-)