News

Posted on by Georgia Tizley

What is Japanese Knotweed?

Japanese knotweed is a fast-growing, invasive weed, It is rapidly becoming one of Britain’s most invasive weeds. Japanese Knotweed can remain dormant for over twenty years, but once it begins to grow, it can spread at a pace of 1.2 metres per month and up to a whopping 10cm a day. It develops a series of underground roots and shoots, referred to as rhizomes, which can grow out for several metres from the original stand. It is characteristic by its hollow, purple stems and heart-shaped leaves. If you need more information on this, we have a page dedicated to helping our clients to identify Japanese knotweed.

Why Should I Attend Your CPD Course?

CPD stands for Continuing Professional Development and is a requirement in most industries. Anyone who is a member of a professional body is likely to have CPD requirements laid out to them. There is usually a set amount of mandatory hours required to complete annually. CPD exists to help people manage and record their own development on an ongoing basis, allowing the individual to reflect and review what they have learnt.

Japanese Knotweed Expert is proud to be a member of the CPD Certification Service. They are the leading institution for CPD accreditation, operating a strict course approval process.

As a result of our 20 years experience in the invasive weed industry, we are now offering a CPD course in which we educate you, the learner, on how to identify Japanese Knotweed. This course is immensely useful for a wide range of professionals, including but not limited to surveyors, solicitors, builders, architect and estate/letting agents.

Further information regarding our CPD course or any other services can be found on our website. If you have any questions please contact us on 0800 1337 444.

Posted on by Japanese Knotweed Expert

Officially CPD Certified!

Earlier this year, Japanese Knotweed Expert held its inaugural ‘Train the Surveyor’ event for property surveyors. This training session waCPD Certified - Japanese Knotweed Experts designed to help professionals learn more about Japanese Knotweed: from identifying it, all the way through to the treatments involved in eradicating it.

The feedback we received following our first session was overwhelmingly positive, and we were certain our course was good enough to merit an accreditation – so we made it happen!

We are immensely proud to announce that we are now officially CPD certified, which means that time spent attending our ‘Train the Surveyor’ event can be used towards annual mandatory training hours for a range of professionals.

Look out for details of our next ‘Train the Surveyor’ session, and if you’d like to register your interest, then get in touch!

Posted on by Japanese Knotweed Expert

Japanese Knotweed Image

Summer is finally here, and the sun has started to shine – bliss! You will have noticed that your gardens are flourishing due to the warm weather – but how do you know if you have Japanese Knotweed growing on your property?

Summer is probably one of the easiest times to spot Knotweed. In the early spring you would have seen red or purple shoots appearing through the ground, which would have turned into bamboo-like canes. By now, Japanese Knotweed will be fully grown and therefore easier to spot. The mature stems are hollow and have a distinctive purple speckle, with the leaves growing in a zig-zag pattern.

As we move into late summer, clusters of creamy white flowers will start to appear on the plant. These flowers are nectar rich, so you may identify the presence of Knotweed by noticing more insects in your garden.

If you think you have Japanese Knotweed on your property and need professional advice on identifying Japanese Knotweed, please contact us.

 

Posted on by Naomi Walker

Introducing our HR and Compliance AdvisorOur HR and Compliance Advisor - Marianne

We would like to introduce Marianne Gibson our newest team member at Japanese Knotweed Expert Ltd. Marianne has joined our team as our HR and Compliance Advisor.

 For the past 14 years Marianne has working in retail in a HR capacity. Within this role it was also highly customer service based. She will be a great asset with not only her HR background but also her customer service.

 In her role as the HR and Compliance Advisor Marianne will be dealing with all employers, their training, our recruitment requirements and most importantly keeping us compliant with all HR and HSE regulations.

 Outside of work she enjoys challenging herself, for example she has just completed the Berlin half marathon! Marianne also enjoys food and spending time with her family.

 We look forward to working along with Marianne and would like to welcome her to the Japanese Knotweed Expert team.

Posted on by Naomi Walker

Introducing Our Business Development AssistantIntroducing Our Business Development Assistant

We would like to introduce Alexandria Mackenzie as our newest member of the team at Japanese Knotweed Expert. Alex has joined the team as our Business Development Assistant.

She has previously come from a Customer Support role for a marketing company. As a result, Alex will be an asset in our business development and growth of the company.

In her role as the Business Development Assistant, Alex will be dealing with the development of Japanese Knotweed Expert Ltd. She will attend business networking events and will correspond all marketing. Which includes social media and marketing campaigns be this for magazines or business events.

Outside of work she is an active member of the Young Farmers and enjoys playing netball, along with socialising with her friends.

We would like to take this opportunity to welcome Alexandria to the growing team at Japanese Knotweed Expert. We look forward to working along with her!

Posted on by Japanese Knotweed Expert

When you come to sell your home you have to declare if there is Japanese Knotweed or any other invasive weed present on the property or its garden. This should be declared on a property information form called a TA6. The form asks if the property is affected by Japanese Knotweed and if it is, is there a Management plan in place. This is where we can help! We can supply you with a Management Plan and Insurance Backed Guarantee!
Developers of these new build properties are not obliged to complete the TA6 which was first introduced in 2013. This means you may purchase your brand new house and not be aware that Japanese Knotweed is present on the property or surrounding gardens.
We feel this is a real issue within the process of buying a new home. The developments should be made to make you aware that there is no Japanese Knotweed or any other invasive weed present on the property.
If you have a new build property and face a Japanese Knotweed problem, Please get in touch and we can help you. Contact our office on 01782 479 444 or email at info@japaneseknotweedexpert.co.uk

Posted on by Japanese Knotweed Expert

Suspected Japanese Knotweed in London

Buddleia misidentified for suspected Japanese Knotweed in LondonHere at Japanese Knotweed Expert, we had the opportunity to complete a site survey for Imperial College in London. Our services were required to identify whether Japanese Knotweed was present on site.

They had a surveyor from their mortgage company visit the site who had identified that Japanese Knotweed was present on site. This is where Japanese Knotweed Expert came in as they contacted us to visit the site, complete a site survey and produce a detailed quote to deal with the Japanese Knotweed outbreak.

Our qualified surveyor visited the site to complete the site survey, which was in line with the RICs house builder’s guidelines, “1st edition information paper, on, Japanese Knotweed and residential property,” “The PCA code of Practice” and The Environment Agency Code of Practice 2013. We not only surveyed the property, but also the surrounding areas to locate the Japanese Knotweed.

Suspected Japanese Knotweed in London – Misidentified!

However, upon visiting the site we found that there was no Fallopia japonica (Japanese Knotweed) present on site or on the surrounding properties. Upon completing the site survey we informed the client and produced a report to confirm there was no presence of Japanese Knotweed on site.

This was very pleasing for our client, who was happy to be informed that the Japanese Knotweed had been misidentified. The plants that had been identified were Buddleia, Convolvulus and Clematis, which all have similar leaves to Japanese Knotweed. Therefore they could easily be mistaken for Japanese Knotweed.

Suspected Japanese Knotweed in London - Misidentified In this particular instance it did not affect the building work on the site and everything could continue as planned. No further action was required as Japanese Knotweed was not present.

However, if Japanese Knotweed had been identified on site or been missed completely, the ramification of this would have affected the whole site and the building work being completed.

If the Japanese Knotweed had been identified later on in the building process then the time frame for the build would have been affected.

If the building had been completed, with Japanese Knotweed still remaining on site then this could have impacted on the building or the foundations. As Japanese Knotweed roots can break through concrete and cause damage to buildings.

By having our professional qualified surveyor visit the site, Imperial College were able to avoid any of these scenarios and work could continue on site, uninterrupted. As the site which had suspected Japanese Knotweed in London, only had a look a like!

If you need a site visit to assess whether Japanese Knotweed is present on your site or at your home, then give Japanese Knotweed Expert a call today on 0800 1337 444 or complete our online contact form. One of our friendly office team will be happy to assist and arrange a site visit.

By arranging a site visit you can avoid the ramifications and impact Japanese Knotweed can cause to your property or surrounding properties.

Posted on by Japanese Knotweed Expert

Eradicate your infestation of Japanese Knotweed

Japanese Knotweed was initially introduced into the UK as an ornamental plant by the Victorians, who believed the plant would strengthen structures. It was only later it come to light that Japanese Knotweed in fact ruins structural foundations and could bring homes down to the rubble. So why is it that YOU are liable to get your growth treated, if you didn’t ask for Japanese Knotweed on your land? Why is it so important to eradicate your infestation of Japanese Knotweed today?

Nine times out of ten, Japanese Knotweed was brought onto your land accidentally, which isn’t such great news for the land-owner, as it means you are liable to stop the spread of the growth. Simply having the weed growing on your land is not illegal, although allowing it to spread is, as it can devalue properties by up to 50%. The most effective way of prohibiting growth is to treat the Knotweed, as it ensures the growth is tackled, and therefore the weed cannot be spread.

If you allow Japanese Knotweed to spread onto neighbouring land, you could be liable for not only the treatment of the Knotweed, but also the devaluation caused to the adjacent properties. This has recently been evidenced through Waistell v Network Rail, where residents of an opposing railway line have sued the company for potential devaluation, and have been successful. Even though there was no Knotweed on their land, the judge ruled in their favour, purely because there is potential for the damage to be done!

If you have require us to eradicate your infestation of Japanese Knotweed, please do not hesitate to give us a call on 0800 1337 444!

Posted on by Japanese Knotweed Expert

Marketing Internship - Mehmet

Japanese Knotweed Expert Limited had paired with Keele University for a temporary marketing internship opportunity, and after a series of interviews, we come across Mehmet. He was in his second year at uni, approaching his third later this month and is studying a dual-honours in Business Management and Accounting. Mehmet took on the internship to gain experience in the different fields in business, so he can be more versatile when approaching different job roles.

We asked Mehmet to compose a series of different marketing strategies which would help us to reach a wider audience with our services, and the full two weeks of Mehmet’s marketing internship kept him super busy!

As the end of the internship approached, Mehmet was proving himself to be an invaluable part of the team and was showing a variety of skills which we are currently looking for in our Marketing Apprentice role. Whilst not only composing his own final review with the University and our M.D Jason, Mehmet was also helping members in the office with calling suppliers for quotes and had even offered to take some tasks off the office team, so that they weren’t too busy!

Mehmet has provided us with an extremely useful blueprint for our marketing needs for the future, and has evaluated, analysed and deliberated the best way for us to move forward in the industry, all whilst working well under the pressures of a busy office environment, despite never have worked in a similar placement before! He even left us a heart-warming review on our Facebook page, which details how “It was a huge pleasure to be working with Jason and everyone in the office. Such a lovely environment and was a pleasure to walk in every morning. I have gathered so much experience and knowledge from the past 3 weeks and I hope in the time I had there that, I have given them as much as what they have given me. Thank you Jason for allowing me the experience and thank you to everyone in the office for welcoming me with such open arms!”

One of the ideas Mehmet has proposed to us, is allowing our clients to have an app downloaded to their phone, alongside an account login, to track the progress of the eradication as well as keeping on top of payments and reports. This is definitely something we will be looking at in the future, and we are also in the process of implementing the strategies Mehmet had proposed to us!

We wish Mehmet the very best for the future and hope he enjoyed his marketing internship at Japanese Knotweed Expert Limited.

We currently have a marketing apprentice vacancy available at our company, if you feel like you may be a suitable candidate, please send in your CV to info@japaneseknotweedexpert.co.uk.

Posted on by Japanese Knotweed Expert

As if finding out you have Japanese Knotweed in your garden isn’t enough bad news, did you know that failure to take the steps to eradicate it can result in a £2,000 fine or even a 2 year prison sentence?

We have found an interesting article, posted by the Coventry Telegraph online, warning people about the rise of Japanese Knotweed and how this can effect you:

‘“If you can see any kind of plant growing on your property it’s worth identifying what it is, and if it turns out to be Japanese Knotweed, then take steps to eradicate it.

“If it is coming from the direction of a neighbour then speak with them about it, and if they don’t tackle the problem then it’s worth considering action.

“This may sound over the top to some, but taking action to protect your biggest asset is the most sensible option.”’

Japanese Knotweed can devalue a property by up to 50% and in some cases has prevented a property from selling at all!

We would urge anyone with Japanese Knotweed to get in touch for any advice and to not tackle the problem yourself – DIY eradication will not kill the plant – and is also illegal!

Our contact number is 0800 1337 444, or you can email info@japaneseknotweedexpert.co.uk

If you would like to view the full article posted by the Coventry Telegraph, please click here.