Worrying Scenario, Knotweed on newbuild.
Discussion
Dear All, around10 to 12 weeks ago, a mate of mine moved into his 600k newbuild on a small development of around 12 houses. He was puzzled what was sprouting up in his back garden. But just removed it, when cutting the grass.
However , a few days back he was astonised to learn from a prospective purchaser of another property on the site , that the land has a history of Japanese Knotweed, which is indeed what was sprouting in his back garden. Apparently 6 of the houses on the site were in the process of selling, all the buyers have pulled out.
The prospective purchaser stated that his solicitor had picked up the problem with the weed in their searches, as apparently the other buyers solicitors had. My mate had no such information passed to him by his solictor, which sounds very iffy on the solicitiors part.
So, if solicitors have picked up the problem in the purchase process, it seems almost 100% that the developers solicitior would have picked up the problem when purchasing the land. I assume that's the case, at any rate. So either the solicitor did not do his job properly, or the developer was warned but has kept schtum.
My mate just wants to give the house back, the whole thing has made his wife ill (literally) , and wishes to wash his hands of entire thing. He has engaged a brief who specialises in cases like this (infestation ) so sounds like he is taking the correct action. .
On an aside, the site was built by numerous small contractors , one of whom known to my mate , he's chatted to him , and the contractor had no idea concerning the weed , but he did know about the asbestos that had to be removed, and of the provision of bat boxes which some houses had to have, owing to demolition of a derelict building on the site. .
It seems safe to assume that none of the contractors new about the weed and thus a very possible knock on effect with groundwork machinery not being decontaminated after contact with the infected ground.
Has anyone had any experience of a situation , like this, and how it's likely to pan out? My mate is a hard working small busines man , and truly is at his wits end as there have been other problems that should not have happened, this has truly gone beyond awful.
I know I have made some assumptions , but it truly does sound iffy.
However , a few days back he was astonised to learn from a prospective purchaser of another property on the site , that the land has a history of Japanese Knotweed, which is indeed what was sprouting in his back garden. Apparently 6 of the houses on the site were in the process of selling, all the buyers have pulled out.
The prospective purchaser stated that his solicitor had picked up the problem with the weed in their searches, as apparently the other buyers solicitors had. My mate had no such information passed to him by his solictor, which sounds very iffy on the solicitiors part.
So, if solicitors have picked up the problem in the purchase process, it seems almost 100% that the developers solicitior would have picked up the problem when purchasing the land. I assume that's the case, at any rate. So either the solicitor did not do his job properly, or the developer was warned but has kept schtum.
My mate just wants to give the house back, the whole thing has made his wife ill (literally) , and wishes to wash his hands of entire thing. He has engaged a brief who specialises in cases like this (infestation ) so sounds like he is taking the correct action. .
On an aside, the site was built by numerous small contractors , one of whom known to my mate , he's chatted to him , and the contractor had no idea concerning the weed , but he did know about the asbestos that had to be removed, and of the provision of bat boxes which some houses had to have, owing to demolition of a derelict building on the site. .
It seems safe to assume that none of the contractors new about the weed and thus a very possible knock on effect with groundwork machinery not being decontaminated after contact with the infected ground.
Has anyone had any experience of a situation , like this, and how it's likely to pan out? My mate is a hard working small busines man , and truly is at his wits end as there have been other problems that should not have happened, this has truly gone beyond awful.
I know I have made some assumptions , but it truly does sound iffy.
Edited by Hosenbugler on Sunday 19th May 17:08
I doubt if one can just hand the keys back. Surely Ur mate, who is very worried has already spoken with the developer who sold him the place and his solicitor and house I usance company. What do they say? Japanese knotweed is very concerning no doubt but its bit too difficult to remove it provided u get a licenced company to do the full treatment. Talk to developer who should at least pay for this treatment. Good luck
Slightly OTT to let a plant ruin your life 
Personally it wouldn't bother me, I'd just get some weedkiller and hit it with that every time it sprouted, it really is that easy.
The Snowflake is strong with this one, I can see the headline in The Sun tomorrow; 'Woman claims garden weed drove her to suicide attempts'.
Personally it wouldn't bother me, I'd just get some weedkiller and hit it with that every time it sprouted, it really is that easy.
The Snowflake is strong with this one, I can see the headline in The Sun tomorrow; 'Woman claims garden weed drove her to suicide attempts'.
Edited by 227bhp on Sunday 19th May 17:51
Glyphosate is your friend. I've just treated a massive crop of it at my daughters house in France, if there isn't that much at this stage then get a syringe and inject a strong mix of Glyphosate and water into each stem and it will die back then do this each time a new shoot appears and eventually it will all die off. If there's a lot of it then spray with the same mix using a garden sprayer all over then do the above as new shoots appear.
By the way, you can cook and eat it too (the young shoots) and you treat it just like rhubarb and it tastes a bit like it too!
I don't know why people are panic stricken by this. Hmmm, thinks, maybe I can pick up a cheap infected property in the UK for a song!!!
By the way, you can cook and eat it too (the young shoots) and you treat it just like rhubarb and it tastes a bit like it too!
I don't know why people are panic stricken by this. Hmmm, thinks, maybe I can pick up a cheap infected property in the UK for a song!!!
The Developer will need to show evidence that they performed due diligence checks for Japanese Knotweed. It is fundamental that any Developer ensures that it does not exists and, if it does, have it removed and even take measures to ensure beneath newbuilds is protected.
If the weed arrived post-construction, then it is indeed the new owner's problem and needs to be dealt with accordingly - certainly before selling the property on or allowing the weed to encroach neighbour properties.
However, if the Developer can be shown not to have checked for it then it is the Developer who must make good. Check with your Solicitor for advice on this.
If the weed arrived post-construction, then it is indeed the new owner's problem and needs to be dealt with accordingly - certainly before selling the property on or allowing the weed to encroach neighbour properties.
However, if the Developer can be shown not to have checked for it then it is the Developer who must make good. Check with your Solicitor for advice on this.
There's been several threads on PH about knotweed and I give the same advice each time.
The product you need is called Azural. It's a glyphosate weedkiller, but the potassium salt, not the regular sodium glyphosate; and at a higher concentration.
I think too much hysteria surrounds knotweed, considering how brutal Azural is to it.
Just spray it on a regular basis, and inject neat glyphosate and paraffin in to the stems. Wash, rinse, repeat.
You only spray the leaves, fresh new growth is ideal. Burn any cuttings, don't compost them or send to landfill.
Alternatively, Rosate Glyphosate is sold on ebay. Expect to pay around £100 for 25 litres. Those little sprayer bottles sold in DIY stores are ready mixed, best not to think of the mark-up on those otherwise it'll depress you more than the knotweed.
Linky to ebay here
The product you need is called Azural. It's a glyphosate weedkiller, but the potassium salt, not the regular sodium glyphosate; and at a higher concentration.
I think too much hysteria surrounds knotweed, considering how brutal Azural is to it.
Just spray it on a regular basis, and inject neat glyphosate and paraffin in to the stems. Wash, rinse, repeat.
You only spray the leaves, fresh new growth is ideal. Burn any cuttings, don't compost them or send to landfill.
Alternatively, Rosate Glyphosate is sold on ebay. Expect to pay around £100 for 25 litres. Those little sprayer bottles sold in DIY stores are ready mixed, best not to think of the mark-up on those otherwise it'll depress you more than the knotweed.
Linky to ebay here
it be simple to dig up the roots? that way eradicating it once and for all?PositronicRay said:
It can be treated.
This. We bought a house with it, the seller did a treatment plan, no sign of it 18 months later. Mortgaging was not anything like as hard as I thought it would be, with a plan in place, paid for by the seller. Sadly these plans are expensive (and a total racket as all they do is turn up and spray/inject the plants with glysophate and then annually inspect/repeat). And sadly, it is legally notifiable on sale - so I suspect that if your developer knew, they have a problem.
We had knotweed at our previous house. First thing we knew (the end of the garden was jungle at that point) was a neighbours gardener found the first sprout on their side and saw the larger plant on ours. 3 year eradication program with an insurance-backed 10 year guarantee was about £1500 (London prices) and worked for us. Sold the house with no issues.
I think the problems (and fear) around this plant are ridiculously overstated. It can be removed quite painlessly. Get the developers to pay for a decent company to fix the issue.
I think the problems (and fear) around this plant are ridiculously overstated. It can be removed quite painlessly. Get the developers to pay for a decent company to fix the issue.
As others have said, it can be sorted pretty easily - the developer should be liable for the costs. There is some thinking now that knotweed isnt the massive issue it's made out to be and won't cut through foundations and concrete like butter... you obviously still want rid though.
I certainly wouldnt let it stress me out too much.
I certainly wouldnt let it stress me out too much.
Maxf said:
As others have said, it can be sorted pretty easily - the developer should be liable for the costs. There is some thinking now that knotweed isnt the massive issue it's made out to be and won't cut through foundations and concrete like butter... you obviously still want rid though.
I certainly wouldnt let it stress me out too much.
Yes, the current view is that it's nowhere near as problematic as previously thought.I certainly wouldnt let it stress me out too much.
Thanks all. My mate knows it can be treated , it's more the legal ramifications that he's interested in. From what I can gather, there is going to be writs flying all over the place, and the liabilities of apparently incompetent solicitors and of course the accountability of the developer himself.
The worries are not only the cost of sorting the problem, but the potential of it bankrupting the developer owing to the properties not selling, plus of course the potential devalueing of the properties themselves, as said, six sales pulled, my mate is the only (so far) buyer to have completed and moved in, the potential nightmare is not difficult to imagine. Its virtually 100% the entire site is affected.
All in all, its been a bad year for them, owing to other problems , my mate was going to pull out of the sale but his Mrs was stressed out and insisted they go ahead, she's on the edge of a nervous breakdown, it really is not good to see. The hard part is that it's come out the blue, if you know of the problem beforehand then it can be addressed in whatever manner , but having it dropped on your head from a great height after a string of other stress inducing incidents is another, nobody can see this coming out well, without more stress and uncertainty.
All they wanted to do was move in and get on with their lives , straw and the camels back comes to mind.
The worries are not only the cost of sorting the problem, but the potential of it bankrupting the developer owing to the properties not selling, plus of course the potential devalueing of the properties themselves, as said, six sales pulled, my mate is the only (so far) buyer to have completed and moved in, the potential nightmare is not difficult to imagine. Its virtually 100% the entire site is affected.
All in all, its been a bad year for them, owing to other problems , my mate was going to pull out of the sale but his Mrs was stressed out and insisted they go ahead, she's on the edge of a nervous breakdown, it really is not good to see. The hard part is that it's come out the blue, if you know of the problem beforehand then it can be addressed in whatever manner , but having it dropped on your head from a great height after a string of other stress inducing incidents is another, nobody can see this coming out well, without more stress and uncertainty.
All they wanted to do was move in and get on with their lives , straw and the camels back comes to mind.
The problem is mainly psychological than actual, that's the issue and you're in the wrong section for that.
There is no need to be worrying about the builders, that's their problem, not anyone else's.
Likewise the other houses; not their problem.
Whatever happens to those is of no great consequence to anyone else at all.
A problem is as big or as simple as you yourself want to make it. If they want a simple, stress free life then simply sit tight and see what happens, if they can't jump onto the back of whatever happens and get it dug out or treated, then it's a case of £50 on weedkiller and a sprayer.
5 years from now and it'll all be forgotten, for now i'd just enjoy living on a lovely quiet street.
If it was bought to sell on in a short amount of time then this would change things a little, but you've never said as much.
If in 10yrs time they move and there has been no JKW seen for years it'll be a total non-issue.
There is no need to be worrying about the builders, that's their problem, not anyone else's.
Likewise the other houses; not their problem.
Whatever happens to those is of no great consequence to anyone else at all.
A problem is as big or as simple as you yourself want to make it. If they want a simple, stress free life then simply sit tight and see what happens, if they can't jump onto the back of whatever happens and get it dug out or treated, then it's a case of £50 on weedkiller and a sprayer.
5 years from now and it'll all be forgotten, for now i'd just enjoy living on a lovely quiet street.
If it was bought to sell on in a short amount of time then this would change things a little, but you've never said as much.
If in 10yrs time they move and there has been no JKW seen for years it'll be a total non-issue.
There's a financial impact when it comes time to sell if the other neighbouring houses were sold for substantially less.
It's strange that Knotweed is hyped up so much when far more destructive plants like Buddleia (has completely destroyed a wall close to me in less than two years) can be bought from nurseries.
It's strange that Knotweed is hyped up so much when far more destructive plants like Buddleia (has completely destroyed a wall close to me in less than two years) can be bought from nurseries.
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