20 May Japanese Knotweed and Property
Japanese knotweed – What you need to know before buying or selling property
What exactly is Japanese knotweed and why does every house buyer need to check their new purchase to make sure it’s completely clear of the weed? Well, Lenders simply won’t lend against properties with Japanese knotweed and even if it does slip through the net you will more than likely have issues when you are trying to sell the property.
This pernicious plant called the Fallopia Japonica normally lies completely dormant in winter but will start to sprout come spring and it can grow up to a foot in a week in summer. The weed is a problem because it can grow through pretty much anything, brick, drainage systems, concrete and even the foundation of your property. The weed can grow upwards of seven foot and in most circumstances will make your property un-mortgageable.
Here what some of the high street lenders say about the problem: –
BARCLAYS Demands you call in an expert who is a member of the Property Care Association – and who offers a ten-year insurance-backed guarantee against its return if the plant has been discovered within seven metres of the home. It will not offer a mortgage until the work has been done.
NATIONWIDE BUILDING SOCIETY ‘If it is prominent less than seven metres from the house we request a specialist report about eradication before deciding whether we can lend. ‘Even if further away we require written confirmation from the borrower they are happy to proceed with a mortgage application despite the presence of the plant.’
SANTANDER ‘It can take several seasons of spraying with specialist chemicals to eradicate. ‘Work is often not completed before the mortgage term starts so we ask for the cost of remedial work to be held in a separate account. ‘We will not turn down a mortgage just because of knotweed, but we will want it eradicated.’
YORKSHIRE BANK AND CLYDESDALE BANK – ‘If you have Japanese knotweed in the garden – and it comes up on a valuer’s report – you will struggle to get a mortgage unless it is professionally treated.
Here at Home House Buyers, it doesn’t matter if your house has Japanese knotweed as we will buy your house. We will buy your home no matter the condition or location, even if it has knotweed we will buy your home in as little fourteen days. Home House Buyers specialise in buying problem properties so call a member of our team and we will buy your house.