Knotweed problem

Knotweed problem

The Mail on Sunday notes that many lenders will baulk at providing loans for houses that have gardens infested with Japanese knotweed. Barclays, for example, demands buyers 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. Leeds Building Society goes further; it will not lend money when knotweed is present in the garden and a valuer concludes it offers a significant risk either to the property or the chances of selling it in the future. Other lenders make decisions on a case by case basis but most have some associated restrictions and conditions.