Worrying Scenario, Knotweed on newbuild.
Discussion
It is possible that the weed turned up with some topsoil the builders put on towards the end of the build. To assume that its been there from the start, this is 1 huge cover up and the developer should be hung by his testicles is a bit extreme.
Ebay some weedkiller (the good stuff, 360g/l), and start spraying or injecting it into the stem. It'll take a while, but once you start knocking it down it won't spread much, if at all, and then its simply a question of time and patience.
Ebay some weedkiller (the good stuff, 360g/l), and start spraying or injecting it into the stem. It'll take a while, but once you start knocking it down it won't spread much, if at all, and then its simply a question of time and patience.
Condi said:
It is possible that the weed turned up with some topsoil the builders put on towards the end of the build. To assume that its been there from the start, this is 1 huge cover up and the developer should be hung by his testicles is a bit extreme.
Ebay some weedkiller (the good stuff, 360g/l), and start spraying or injecting it into the stem. It'll take a while, but once you start knocking it down it won't spread much, if at all, and then its simply a question of time and patience.
Except the Op said other purchasers and builders on site were aware of it. Ebay some weedkiller (the good stuff, 360g/l), and start spraying or injecting it into the stem. It'll take a while, but once you start knocking it down it won't spread much, if at all, and then its simply a question of time and patience.
This doesn't quite make sense to me, have been reading this over the past couple of days and am still not sure about it. How did the other 6 buyers find out? Most people wouldn't know what it looks like so it's doubtful it was through seeing it. They could have spoken to neighbours but 6 people all finding out by happening on a neighbour....maybe but still a stretch. The most likely way is during their conveyancing, either a search showed it up or the vendor admitted to it. If that's the case why didn't this guy find out? Did he buy without searches? A key part seems to be missing, or I've missed it in which case I apologise.
sfella said:
This doesn't quite make sense to me, have been reading this over the past couple of days and am still not sure about it. How did the other 6 buyers find out? Most people wouldn't know what it looks like so it's doubtful it was through seeing it. They could have spoken to neighbours but 6 people all finding out by happening on a neighbour....maybe but still a stretch. The most likely way is during their conveyancing, either a search showed it up or the vendor admitted to it. If that's the case why didn't this guy find out? Did he buy without searches? A key part seems to be missing, or I've missed it in which case I apologise.
I think he said it came up in searches, as their solicitors advised them.in his first post the op said
Op said:
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.
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.
blueg33 said:
sfella said:
This doesn't quite make sense to me, have been reading this over the past couple of days and am still not sure about it. How did the other 6 buyers find out? Most people wouldn't know what it looks like so it's doubtful it was through seeing it. They could have spoken to neighbours but 6 people all finding out by happening on a neighbour....maybe but still a stretch. The most likely way is during their conveyancing, either a search showed it up or the vendor admitted to it. If that's the case why didn't this guy find out? Did he buy without searches? A key part seems to be missing, or I've missed it in which case I apologise.
I think he said it came up in searches, as their solicitors advised them.in his first post the op said
Op said:
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.
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.
To clarify the matter regarding my mate's conveyancing solicitor. Apparently, he has screwed up and accepts that he did, he maintains the searches did throw up the JK presence but he somehow missed it . It's suspected that he did not do the searches in the first place, but that's the by and by. He accepts responsibilty for not warning my mate about the infestation.
The solicitor that my mate has engaged is a specialist in environental matters like this Jk scenario and he is certain there is an awful lot of s
t yet to be unravelled. It's unlikely I'll know more until the weekend , If i learn of any new events I'll post them if I am able.
The solicitor that my mate has engaged is a specialist in environental matters like this Jk scenario and he is certain there is an awful lot of s
t yet to be unravelled. It's unlikely I'll know more until the weekend , If i learn of any new events I'll post them if I am able. Most surprised that the mortgage lender didn't pick this up, unless your mate paid cash.
I work in both estate agency and secured property lending, and come across knotweed on a regular basis. I haven't read the entire thread, but the key issue here is resale of your mate's property. Unfortunately, the advice to "just spray it with some weedkiller" won't be acceptable to most lenders or any solicitor worth their salt. It's not worth your friend getting in a tizz over, but it does need treating properly.
In short, what your friend needs to do is get the a knotweed treatment plan in place with a PCA-accredited treatment plan, WITH A 5-10 year insurance-backed guarantee. This will probably cost £2-5k depending on the severity and where you are in the UK. The above should a. get rid of all the knotweed, b. satisfy most mortgage lenders for a potential buyer, and c. give comfort to any prospective buyer that they are insured against knotweed if it pops up again.
The alternative is a digout, but that's expensive, disruptive and not necessary.
I work in both estate agency and secured property lending, and come across knotweed on a regular basis. I haven't read the entire thread, but the key issue here is resale of your mate's property. Unfortunately, the advice to "just spray it with some weedkiller" won't be acceptable to most lenders or any solicitor worth their salt. It's not worth your friend getting in a tizz over, but it does need treating properly.
In short, what your friend needs to do is get the a knotweed treatment plan in place with a PCA-accredited treatment plan, WITH A 5-10 year insurance-backed guarantee. This will probably cost £2-5k depending on the severity and where you are in the UK. The above should a. get rid of all the knotweed, b. satisfy most mortgage lenders for a potential buyer, and c. give comfort to any prospective buyer that they are insured against knotweed if it pops up again.
The alternative is a digout, but that's expensive, disruptive and not necessary.
22s said:
In short, what your friend needs to do is get the a knotweed treatment plan in place with a PCA-accredited treatment plan, WITH A 5-10 year insurance-backed guarantee. This will probably cost £2-5k depending on the severity and where you are in the UK. The above should a. get rid of all the knotweed, b. satisfy most mortgage lenders for a potential buyer, and c. give comfort to any prospective buyer that they are insured against knotweed if it pops up again.
PCA: formerly British Wood Preserving and Damp-proofing Association. It would appear they have a new bandwagon.Gassing Station | Homes, Gardens and DIY | Top of Page | What's New | My Stuff