An Interview with: A Homeowner with Japanese Knotweed

We all hear the horror stories about how Japanese Knotweed reduces property values by 100% and is notorious for bringing house sales to a grinding halt, much to the dismay of many vendors. So today, we have spoken to a homeowner with Japanese Knotweed Expert, a single mum of 2 who was unfortunate enough to be blighted by this prolific weed.


*names have been changed upon request.

JKE: Hi Kelly*, thank you for coming in to see us today.

Kelly: No problem, thank you for inviting me in. I want to get my story out to as many people as possible

.

JKE: We can definitely help you do that – let’s start from the beginning; how did you come across the Japanese Knotweed (JK) growing in your garden?

K: Well I’d been renting my property off my landlords for about 7 years and I was finally in a position where I could put an offer in as I knew that they were looking to sell as soon as possible. I thought because I already lived there, it would streamline the whole process and hopefully make it a lot less stressful and I really loved the house, so it seemed like a no-brainer.


JKE: Had you known that there was JK growing in your garden up until that point?

K: No. I never even knew what JK looked like! I knew that the plant was there because I remember noticing how it used to appear to die back for the winter and then it would start growing again in the spring-time as if it had come back to life! It never really occurred to me that it might be a dangerous plant because it always looked so pretty during the warmer months.


JKE: So when did you come to realise that it was an issue?

K: It was only when I had my own survey done, that I come to learn about JK and when my mortgage application was refused, I knew I needed to sort it out. I couldn’t risk losing our family home, but I didn’t really know how I could fix the situation. Luckily my landlords were really helpful and were kind enough to bear with me whilst I was looking into different ways to secure my mortgage.


JKE: What was the extent of the growth?

K: There wasn’t much really, it was growing in the border which runs along the boundary of my garden. I think in the survey report it was said there was around 10sqm. I always wonder what the outcome would be if there was a lot more!


JKE: Was there any damage, to your knowledge?

K: You could tell the roots had started to lift the cobbles that edged my border, it really used to worry me though because it was close to the boundary wall on the left-hand side and I knew it was only a matter of time until the JK brought that to the ground.


JKE: It’s lucky we caught it when we did!

K: You guys really helped me out! I know for a fact I wouldn’t be living in my house today if you guys didn’t step in when you did.


JKE: Would you say you were kept up to date with the whole process?

K: Definitely. From start to finish your team members were great and you were always happy to answer my questions, and as you personally know I had a lot of them! I am so glad I chose such a good company because you really gave me peace of mind and reassured me when I thought buying my house was not a possibility.


JKE: Thank you Kelly, we’re glad we could have been of assistance and it’s so good to hear you’ve been happy with the company! 


Would you like to know more about us? Click here to find out more. If you think you have Japanese Knotweed growing on your property, please get in touch with the Experts today on 0800 1337 444.