Are weeds killing your mortgage chances?

we have just had a mortgage application declined after valuation on a property that “apparently” has knotweed on it…

we have scoured the place and not seen ANY evidence of it, not even something that resembles it, and we haven’t even been given the opportunity to get a horticultural expert in to identify the supposed knotweed, just a flat out decline!
we feel there is a high likely hood that the valuer has misidentified “japanese knotweed” and cost us our mortgage, but we don’t even have the chance to find out WHERE he thinks he saw it, and double check…

just an update- we had a survey done by a japanese knotweed specialist, and it turns out that there ISN’T any present ANYWHERE on the grounds, or even anything that could be mistaken for it, but a surveyor not knowing what he was talking about in his report caused a decline of our mortgage!

Well it has just stopped the sale of my house. I know the plant, most of it is in a neighbouring garden and I have been treating it for over 10 years to the extent that I have eradicated to the main extent.

It seems to be this neurosis is like the earlier days of trees near to houses…. irrespective of the size or behaviour of tree root sizes …. It makes me absolutely sick that mortgage companies who are supposed to issue mortgages will use every method in the book to deny mortgage lending … and thereby economic growth… Its a bit like bankers not allowing people to open bank accounts or insurance companies not paying out on insurances…. the place has gone mad… Just glad that from this year I wont need a blinking mortgage…. and I can get shot of the evidence before the next chump with his ladder and tape measure waddles around my premises…… fume!

thats just the thing isn’t it! if you eradicate any sign of it before the pen pusher comes around, all would be fine, so they are only encouraging people to hide things, which makes it MORE of a risk to the bank!
If they would just accept the insured eradication program as part of the mortgage stipulations, then it would be dealt with, and people wouldn’t need to try to hide it!

in our case, there just was NO knotweed anywhere but the valuer made it up to red line our mortgage!
we proved him wrong,with a survey from a weed expert ,so are moving forwards once again with the house sale, but its all just jolly ridiculous…

I have a £200,000 plus house on the market that I have sold…everything going well we have bougtht another property etc…the buyers thrilled wth this house then valuer comes says house if “perfect” but mentions on vauation that on neighbouring waste land there is knotweed…caused immediate termination of Mortgage by buiding society nearest plant o my boundary is 10 metres and we have a huge wall and driveway in between…its devastating!.. as everything has now fallen through so it does happen and is happening more and more..there needs to be talks between lenders and government to stop blanket policy on this weed and some form of grading system developed as my house according to surveyor for knotweed is not at risk!

I just wanted to update on my above comment.

After calling B*** S*** on the valuer, we argued our case, and hired a plant expert to do a survey to PROVE there was NO japanese knotweed on the property or anywhere near it!

The surveyor was sorely mistaken, and there was nothing here that could even be mistaken for possible knotweed, so he had no idea what he was talking about.

we got our mortgage back on track and have been living in our home for over 6 mths now!

It can cost money and major stress. I’ve even been told by one surveyor that colleagues actively look for it. Oh I had 1 report that demanded I get a survey undertaken by a specialist company, then sell you an eradication plan costing £kkks.

If a vendor omits information or lies about a property being affected by Japanese knotweed on the TA6 Property Information Form (since 2013) you could be in breach of the Misrepresentation Act 1965. And yes depending on the mortgage company they can and do refuse mortgages if knotweed is on site or put barriers in place requiring surveys, monitoring and insurance backed guarantees or withholding money until controlled

I am afraid this is not an uncommon story. I have had to survey 2 properties where mis-identification was the cause of much stress and sometimes when surveyors know an area is a hotspot for knotweed or if the garden is overgrown they will use the “pro-cautionary principle” but a flat refusal is just bonkers.

What have you done. I have had a similar experience! How do I get my neighbour to deal with the infestation in their back garden not mine

Unfortunately, it is not illegal to have Japanese Knotweed on your property, but it is illegal if you allow it to spread onto someone else’s property. You can educate your neighbour on the potential structure damage the knotweed can cause.

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Where are you now?

Despite what you may read on many websites, the weedkiller is glyphosate and not Glycophosphate. Simple mistakes like this are often a good way of deciding which advice is worthwhile using.

Best of luck with the balsam bashing.

From the Royal Horticultural Society website:

“A note on glyphosate May 2016: After reviewing glyphosate, the European Parliament has given the go ahead to relicense it but proposes disallowing certain uses such as public open space and restricting it to professional use only. The final resolution will be decided by national authorities this summer which may mean the withdrawal of glyphosate-based weedkillers for home gardeners in the UK. Check the RHS website for further updates.“

The PCA came in for a great deal of criticism on a Conversation (search for ‘dodgy damp advice’) about their members’ advice on damp treatment. Some of this was from representatives of companies that are not members PCA, obviously intent on destroying the reputation of PCA. What I did learn was how important it is to try and understand a problem before calling in the professionals.

PCA is a trade organisation and I think its fair to say that trade organisations are primarily there to serve the interests of their members. From the consumer’s point of view, you need to find out what a trade body will do if you are unfortunate enough to have a dispute with one of their members.

As I said before, there is no such thing as ‘glycophosphate’.

get in touch with your local or any estate agent they will have a list of lenders willing to take on the property with japanese knotwood.

Olive,

I have a similar issue in that I have knotweed on land around my first floor leasehold flat. I am trying to sell it (after a sale fell through a couple of years ago because of it) but so far no one wants to touch it when they know about the knotweed. Like you, I am struggling to find out who is responsible for treating it – my freeholder said he is treating it himself but that doesn’t provide me with the insurance and treatment plan mortgage lenders want, even with it, some are still refusing mortgages. The knotweed is also in the garden next door so it looks as though it’s come from there, but I was told by a solicitor that because I don’t own the land, I can’t make a claim on them. So I am left with a flat I can’t sell, and no power to do anything about it.

Nigel,

what was the name of the insurer? did you manage to sell and did the new owners manage to get a mortgage on it?
I’ve found a property where the neighbouring garden has knotweed (there is a lot of scrubland/woods around the properties). They have a plan in place with a specialist for the next 3 years and one treatment has already happened.
Wondering whether this would affect the mortgagability of the house.

I smell a racket too here. I had a surveyor come round yesterday for a valuation on behalf of Barclays/Woolwich, he asked what was behind the house. I told him it was a stream, I told him the name and he said ‘Ah that one, it’s full of Japanese Knotweed’, then he started to actively look for any growths in our garden and moving about plant pots. When he found ONE, it was almost with some satisfaction, he excalimed ‘Found it!!!!’.

Have just read the report this morning which he has submitted to Barclays/Woolwich stating,

“Japanese Knotweed is present within 7 metres of habitable space. The property is not considered suitable securityuntil remedial work is undertaken by a PCA registered company covered by a minimum 10 year insurance backed guarantee which is property specific and fully transferable,”

This is really frustrating as it has taken nearly 2 years to get to this stage of the buying process for me – I shall nervously wait to hear what Barclays/Woolwich have to say. Should state I am only looking for a 50% LTV.

Hello KD – I would withdraw the offer, get the sellers to carry out the treatment plan at their expense, and possibly make a new offer at 10% below the original asking price [subject to survey and mortgage approval] if you still felt comfortable with buying the house. If you have already paid [or agreed to pay] a mortgage arrangement fee see if you can get the sellers to reimburse it. Also it would be advisable to check the insurability of the property and whether or not the premium would be loaded. There is no doubt that the estate agent should have brought the presence of the Japanese Knotweed to the attention of prospective purchasers since they were clearly aware of it. An interesting question to them would be what part it played in their valuation of the property.

Can you be sure that the treatment of the existing Japanese Knotweed will be permanent and that a further outcrop might not appear? – see if there is any in neighbouring gardens or areas from which it could spread. It says in the Intro that it needs repeated treatment over several years – are you content with that? And do you mind the property being ‘blighted’ for such a period? Disappointing though it might be, don’t be afraid to walk away from the purchase. If you do receive satisfactory assurances and acceptance of a revised offer you can still withdraw right up to exchange of contracts [although you would be liable for any legal costs incurred on your side]. Don’t be worried about another prospective purchaser coming in with a higher bid; the chances are that the estate agent will have to be much more upfront about the existence of the JK if the property goes back on the market and that will inhibit stronger interest. Sellers can’t honestly cover-up the presence of JK in a house sale because it is specifically declarable in the Property Information Form and therefore part of the Contract; you would be bound by that too if you proceeded to purchase and subsequently wished to sell. Even at a lower price a ‘dream home’ might have an irradicable blemish and on balance you might be better off leaving it to someone else to worry about while you pursue your quest for a nice new home – they do exist.

Hello Alison. A nice dilemma.

Someone will buy that house even if you don’t. The price might have to drop a bit but it will eventually sell, knotweed or not. Most people would probably say “leave it alone, there’s bound to be another house you’ll like as much on the market before too long”, but if I were in your shoes I would go for it – on the right terms. The sellers obviously know that they are sitting on a depreciating asset and must be expecting a reduced offer. However much of a bargain it seems to be at the asking price I would put in an offer at least ten percent lower and see the reaction. You can withdraw it and go lower if your offer is snapped up without demur. Don’t be frightened – they need you more than you need them [make sure you don’t overdo your liking of the house]. But you must go into this on the expectation that you will have to fork out for the removal of the JKW. Any offer is still subject to contract and can be withdrawn right up to that point [although you will be liable for your own legal and other expenses] so you should use the time after acceptance of your offer to talk to the man next door and see how amenable he would be to your taking full responsibility for eradication of the knotweed. A legal agreement with him might be helpful, entered into in a conciliatory manner with a view to being cooperative on both sides throughout. Some would suggest that you try to put a charge on his property for the expense of doing that but you need to be careful how hard you push, and anyway, if you get the right price with the seller, why upset someone who could be the way out of your dilemma? Of course, he might have no cares about the future resale value of his property, resent any interference, and be disinclined to go forward with you on that basis, in which case it probably would be better to walk away because JKW can, and will, only get worse and the surveyors’, valuers’and lenders’ antipathy to it will only harden.

I certainly think it would pay you to get a professional estimate of the cost of destroying your prospective neighbour’s knotweed and I think it would be reasonable to expect the sellers to deal with their neighbour along those lines in the first instance. If they won’t or can’t you might be able to persuade him. A professional report on the extent of the problem and the cost of a treatment plan will help both yourselves and the sellers in negotiating an acceptable price for the property. Please don’t get so carried way with desire for the property that you throw caution to the winds; there are plenty of houses on the market, nearly all of them without this problem. But if you can get the house you like, at the right price, with a solution to the problem within your overall budget, and end up with an amenable and grateful neighbour it is worth going for. If your husband still disagrees I think you should give him the benefit of the doubt and let this one go.

Makes the referendum question seem easy, doesn’t it?

As long as you have a guarantee showing the knotweed is being treated/removed, it shouldn’t be a problem.