{"id":20769,"date":"2022-04-30T02:55:05","date_gmt":"2022-04-30T01:55:05","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.benhams.com\/news\/?p=20769"},"modified":"2022-11-14T06:00:46","modified_gmt":"2022-11-14T06:00:46","slug":"how-serious-is-japanese-knotweed-for-landlords","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.benhams.com\/news\/landlords\/how-serious-is-japanese-knotweed-for-landlords\/","title":{"rendered":"How serious is Japanese Knotweed for landlords?"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"\"
The fast-growing, invasive, plant Japanese Knotweed<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Japanese Knotweed \u2013 two words that can strike fear into the hearts of landlords \u2013 and property owners generally.\u00a0 But what is Japanese Knotweed and how serious a problem is it if you find it in the garden of your property?<\/p>\n

Japanese Knotweed (Fallopia Japonica) was brought to the UK in 1850 by a Bavarian doctor as an ornamental plant that was also able to stabilise land including sand dunes and railway embankments.\u00a0But it\u2019s an extremely invasive weed \u2013 it spreads very quickly, with roots that can grow down to a depth of two metres, making it difficult to eradicate, while its dense foliage also makes it difficult for nearby plants to survive.<\/p>\n

What problems can be caused by Japanese Knotweed?<\/h2>\n

Over the last few years Japanese Knotweed has created a real panic amongst homeowners but what damage can it cause?<\/p>\n

Typical problems include damage to garden walls that have only shallow foundations, as well as patios and paths where shoots can grow through gaps.\u00a0 Drains and underground services can also be affected by the roots, as can the foundations of conservatories and outbuildings.\u00a0 And of course, Knotweed can take over a garden very quickly \u2013 and that doesn\u2019t look good for anyone selling or renting a home<\/a>.<\/p>\n

But the good news is that a 2018 study by Leeds University found that structural damage to buildings (from a survey of 122 properties affected by Knotweed) is rare and only happened when there were already structural problems.\u00a0 In fact, some trees and climbers were found to cause more damage to buildings than Knotweed.<\/p>\n

What does Japanese Knotweed look like?<\/h2>\n
\"\"
Japanese knotweed. – green leaves and white flowers<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Look for a long, hollow stem (similar to bamboo) which starts to grow from the end of April (it can grow up to 10cm a day), clusters of small creamy white flowers (which grow from August to September) and shovel-shaped leaves.\u00a0 It dies back in the winter but grows again in the spring.<\/p>\n

For more help identifying Japanese Knotweed,take a look at The Royal Horticultural Society\u2019s website<\/a><\/p>\n

What are your responsibilities as a landlord?<\/h2>\n

Property owners must not let Knotweed spread from their property.\u00a0 Failure to do this could mean a fine or even imprisonment.<\/p>\n

It is listed in the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981 (Section 14, Schedule 9, Part 11) as a non-native, invasive weed.\u00a0 It states that \u2018 if any person plants or otherwise causes to grow in the wild any plant which is included in Part 11 of Schedule 9, he shall be guilty of an offence\u2019.\u00a0 Offenders may face a \u00a35,000 fine and\/or six months imprisonment, or two years and\/or an unlimited fine or indictment.<\/p>\n

What should you do if you are a landlord?<\/h2>\n

If you or your tenant discovers Japanese Knotweed in the garden of your property, you\u2019ll need to look at your Tenancy Agreement<\/a> to ascertain who is responsible for its removal.\u00a0 And you\u2019ll need to prove whether or not the Knotweed was already there when the tenant moved in.<\/p>\n

Even if the Knotweed is the tenant\u2019s responsibility, it may be wise for the landlord to at least help with the costs of its removal to prevent it damaging the foundations of the property or other structures in the garden.<\/p>\n

Options for the removal of Japanese Knotweed<\/h2>\n

There are two options for removing Knotweed.<\/p>\n

First, you can use weed killer.\u00a0 This is the cheapest option but it can take some time and you won\u2019t know if it has worked until the following spring when it may grow back.\u00a0 It can take up to five years to completely get rid of the weed.<\/p>\n

Secondly, you can dig it up or arrange for a contractor to do this.\u00a0 It gets rid of the Knotweed more quickly but can work out more expensive.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 It also has to be taken to a specialist landfill site (not a general tip) as it\u2019s classified as controlled waste and this can prove expensive too.<\/p>\n

We\u2019ve simplified these methods here but the processes for both can be complex.\u00a0 The Environmental Protection Act 1990 lists appropriate methods of removing, transporting and disposing of controlled waste (including Japanese Knotweed).<\/p>\n

Finding a specialist contractor<\/h2>\n

With such strict regulations as to the disposal of Knotweed, it is usually better to use a specialist contractor to carry out this for you so that you do not inadvertently break the law.<\/p>\n

What should you do if you are selling a property?<\/h2>\n

If you\u2019re selling a property<\/a>, you are legally required to check whether there is any Japanese Knotweed on your property.\u00a0 If you find any you must state this on the property information form.\u00a0 You could be sued if you try to hide this fact.\u00a0 As the seller, you must provide a management plan for getting rid of the Knotweed using an approved contractor.<\/p>\n

The good news is that mortgage lenders are becoming more understanding than they were several years ago, thanks to more efficient methods of dealing with the problem.\u00a0 So if a surveyor finds Knotweed on a property, it shouldn\u2019t be a dealbreaker.<\/p>\n

Contact our property management team for more information<\/h2>\n

We\u2019re pleased to say that we have not had an incident of Japanese Knotweed on any of our rental properties in London<\/a>. and as part of our Property Management service<\/a>, we would be able to instruct an appropriate specialist contractor to treat the problem and dispose the waste according to Gov guidelines.<\/p>\n

For more information about our Property Management service, get in touch<\/a>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Japanese Knotweed \u2013 two words that can strike fear into the hearts of landlords \u2013 and property owners generally.\u00a0 But what is Japanese Knotweed and how serious a problem is it if you find it in the garden of your property?<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":20770,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[443,451],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-20769","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-landlords","category-london-property-market"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.benhams.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/20769","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.benhams.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.benhams.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.benhams.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.benhams.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=20769"}],"version-history":[{"count":7,"href":"https:\/\/www.benhams.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/20769\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":21320,"href":"https:\/\/www.benhams.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/20769\/revisions\/21320"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.benhams.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/20770"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.benhams.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=20769"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.benhams.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=20769"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.benhams.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=20769"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}