Japanese Knotweed on purchase TA6

[Familymad]

We were closing in on exchange but the vendors had been tardy (May offer accepted, 27/07 TA6 form received) with paperwork. Knotweed ticked with a comment “treat it with hydrochloride personally).

No survey has been competed. No treatment plan in place.
The land covers 20acres and will be a nightmare to survey as much is forest. Our lender has strict requirements on it and may not lend if the survey comes back in a certain banding.

Anyone had any experience?

[Jeremy-75qq8]

yes I had a very small area treated / disposed of ( hazardous waste) and ground blocking screens for £6k.

I would be wary. It is expensive to dispose of and if more than a tiny amount will cost.

letting it spread is an offence.

I would ask for exact details of where and how big and if you do proceed get quotes for removal and take off the purchase price. If it s a large part of your large plot I would walk away

[Snow and Rocks]

How friendly/helpful did the sellers seem? Worth speaking to them directly and asking them to show you the knotweed so you can see what you're dealing with?

I did that with somewhere I was hoping to buy and it looked pretty manageable so was happy to proceed. No issues with the lender as the surveyor (for the home report here in scotland) didn't spot it. Someone else offered more than I was willing to so it was all academic in the end.

Edit - £6k seems pretty nuts. The guy who bought the place I was hoping too just treated it himself with glyphsate whenever it appeared.

Edited by Snow and Rocks on Friday 31st July 15:07

[Road2Ruin]

We have Knotweed. Although a few years now, it cost about £1600 + VAT for a treatment plan over 10 years. There is next to nothing left now and I just blast it with roundup stump killer, at the appropriate time. Some lenders wouldn't lend on the property, though. I am sure come sale time, someone will try and fist me on the price because, once twenty years ago, it had knotweed.

[normalbloke]

Road2Ruin said:

We have Knotweed. Although a few years now, it cost about £1600 + VAT for a treatment plan over 10 years. There is next to nothing left now and I just blast it with roundup stump killer, at the appropriate time. Some lenders wouldn't lend on the property, though. I am sure come sale time, someone will try and fist me on the price because, once twenty years ago, it had knotweed.

You say it ‘had’ knotweed. You also say it still has knotweed. You can understand the lender’s dichotomy…

[Road2Ruin]

normalbloke said:

You say it had knotweed. You also say it still has knotweed. You can understand the lender s dichotomy

I was talking twenty years later 'had'. Keep up at the back.

[Familymad]

Well it’s not been surveyed and that’s going to be a big task to compete. I’m less bothered about the current position than the future selling position. If it’s putting me off with a can do attitude, it’s going to close it for many.

Broker said don’t do it. Even the estate agent swore on the phone and asked if I was pulling out. Seems to be the norm.

[Snow and Rocks]

Sounds like a potential of getting a bargain to me.

Like I said, if you plan to be there for a few years it's definitely worth having a walk around with the seller. Even 20 acres of woodland won't take that long to look round. Knotweed is pretty easy to spot.

[omniflow]

Road2Ruin said:

normalbloke said:

You say it had knotweed. You also say it still has knotweed. You can understand the lender s dichotomy

I was talking twenty years later 'had'. Keep up at the back.

Sorry, but you very clearly state that you "had" knotweed but also that you still have knotweed - "There is next to nothing left now" - means that there's still something left.