Japanese knotweed survey & Japanese knotweed management plans

Japanese knotweed is an invasive plant that can cause damage to infrastructure if allowed to spread. There are several reasons why you might want to arrange a Japanese knotweed survey for any property and put together an effective management plan

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Environet Japanese knotweed Management Plan

Why do I need a Japanese knotweed survey and management plan?

  • You might be selling your home or business premises and want to check whether Japanese knotweed is present and how widespread it is so you can inform potential buyers.
  • You could be buying a property and want to give yourself some peace of mind that it is free of Japanese knotweed.
  • You may suspect that you have a problem and want to know the extent of infestation before you put together a Japanese knotweed management plan.
  • You might be worried about Japanese knotweed that is close to your property, even though it is on someone else’s land.
  • You are planning an extension or a self-build, and want to check your garden to prevent accidentally building over Japanese knotweed.
  • We also provide JustCheck™ surveys in cases where a customer is unsure whether or not a property is affected by knotweed and wants to be certain before buying or selling a property. 

Check for Japanese knotweed hotspots in your area

Environet's UK heatmap lists over 50,000 sightings!

What is a Japanese knotweed house survey report?

Whether you are buying or selling a property or just want confirmation, a Japanese knotweed survey by a professional team is the best option. This kind of focused survey is designed to give you a full understanding of the situation on your land and the surrounding area and is especially important if you live in a Japanese knotweed hotspot.

A Japanese knotweed survey company will first look for visible signs of the plant. Any full survey for Japanese knotweed, however, needs to consider the extent of the rhizomes underground and how far these have spread. A survey team will also look at the potential source of the infestation, whether any damage has been caused and whether the knotweed is active or dormant at the moment.

You can usually be present during a Japanese knotweed building survey and that should give you the chance to see what is being discovered and ask appropriate questions.

At Environet, we produce a full Japanese knotweed survey report and this can then be used to put together a Japanese Knotweed Management Plan (JKMP).

If you are buying a property and the plant has been identified in an area like the garden, getting a mortgage can often depend on having a management plan in place. It’s important, therefore, to work with a specialist Japanese knotweed survey company to cover all the bases.

Use our extensive guide to identify Japanese knotweed!

What does Japanese knotweed look like?

Richard Slade, business development and sales manager picking up the phone

How much does a Japanese knotweed survey cost?

The cost of a Japanese knotweed survey will depend on who carries it out, the extent of the area that needs to be surveyed and whether the plant is present or not, either on the property or in the surrounding area. Survey costs are from £250 + VAT.

To Start Fixing your Japanese Knotweed Problem Today

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Japanese knotweed homebuyer's survey

If you are buying a new home and you live in a hotspot, the last thing that you want is to find you have this invasive plant in your garden once you’ve exchanged contracts. Sellers are, of course, legally bound to inform buyers that there is an issue.

It’s a good idea, however, not to take someone’s word for it. Booking a Japanese knotweed homebuyer’s survey gives you certainty. Even if you still want to go through with the purchase, you’ll have a ready-made management plan in place that you can present to mortgage providers that will be ready to go once you move in.

By commissioning a Japanese knotweed survey before you buy, it also gives you the opportunity to have input into the resulting management plan, making sure it fits your future needs, and any requirements your mortgage lender might have.

Japanese knotweed management plan (JKMP)

If this invasive plant is present either on your property or the surrounding land, it’s advised that you put in place a management plan for Japanese knotweed. This will generally depend on the extent of the infestation and where it is located.

It’s not just a simple case of removing the above-ground plant – part of the problem with knotweed is the network of rhizomes that can spread in the soil underneath. Ideally, you want a Japanese knotweed management plan that is approved by the Environment Agency and that literally attacks the root problem. You may only have a small area where you can physically see the signs of knotweed but the network of rhizomes is likely going to be much wider below ground.

Any Japanese knotweed management plan will depend on issues such as accessibility and the extent of the infestation, for example, whether it is already causing damage to infrastructure.

In most cases, the best option is to dig up the plant and remove all the rhizomes. Unfortunately, this isn’t always possible but treatment using herbicides can also be employed. Often a combination of both is used.

At Environet, we offer a guaranteed 10-year Japanese knotweed management plan that is backed by insurance. That means once we’ve solved the immediate problem if infestation reoccurs within the next ten years then the treatment is covered by our insurance plan.

 

We use a variety of different approaches including our unique excavation and screening tools Eco-Innovative Xtract™, DART™ and Resi-Dig-Out™. While they share characteristics when it comes to an effective Japanese knotweed management plan, each property is different which is why a flexible approach is required.

Our expert teams around the UK know practically all there is to know about this invasive plant and can put together a focused and effective plan that helps clear the problem and give you complete peace of mind.

 

Your Japanese knotweed management plan cost will depend on the size of the area affected, the nature of the location and the extent of the infestation. At Environet, all our expert teams work closely with property owners to make sure that the costs are controlled.

What is the difference between a Japanese knotweed Management Plan and a Treatment Plan?

The terms Japanese knotweed Management Plan (JKMP, or KPM) and Treatment Plan are often used interchangeably to mean the same thing, however both terms are in fact different. A Japanese knotweed Management Plan (JKMP, KMP) is a detailed document that contains a set of defined information about the Japanese knotweed on, or adjacent to, a named property. A JKMP, or KMP will detail the location, age and extent of Japanese knotweed, along with a location map and photographs. Management Plans often contain more general information about Japanese knotweed and what you need to do as a landowner to meet your duties in law. You will almost certainly need a Japanese knotweed Management Plan if you try to sell your house, or remortgage.   

Japanese knotweed Management Plans normally contain a Treatment Plan within them – which details the recommended treatment to control or remove Japanese knotweed from a specific property. It is possible to commission a Japanese knotweed Treatment Plan, without a detailed Japanese knotweed Management Plan, but this is rare given that information in the JKMP will usually inform the Treatment Plan. Sometimes, the term Japanese knotweed Treatment Plan also refers to the schedule of herbicide applications required for a Herbicide Treatment Programme.   

Will Survey

Quick definitions

Japanese knotweed management plan template

The team at Environet has dealt with a wide range of both commercial and domestic properties over the years and we pride ourselves on having a flexible approach and bringing a variety of different but highly effective tools to the table.

If you are looking for a Japanese knotweed management plan example, then we’ve recorded several for our case studies page. These should give you an idea of what to expect when hiring our services and how effective they have been.

When we complete a Japanese knotweed management plan for your property, it not only gives us a way forward in treating the problem but allows you to see exactly what we are going to do.

It’s important when you have a Japanese knotweed issue, particularly if you live in a hotspot area, that you have a full survey carried out as soon as possible. For homebuyers, having this type of survey also gives peace of mind that there isn’t an issue with the property that is going to cost you money further down the line.

Book your Japanese knotweed survey and management plan, backed by a 10-year insurance guarantee, with the expert team at Environet today.

We have robust systems in place for Environmental and Health & Safety management. Risk assessments are carried out for every aspect of our business to identify situations where harm could be caused. We have an ethos of continuous improvement to eliminate or reduce the risks with detailed working procedures, on-going training and monitoring.

All our staff have health and safety and emergency first aid training. We are also accredited by CHAS and Constructionline and are members of the Property Care Association (PCA).

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