Do surveyors check for Japanese knotweed?
A RICS surveyor will report any visible signs of Japanese knotweed during a RICS home buyers' survey. In the Level 2 Home Survey Report, the RICS surveyor comments in section I2 Risks to the grounds.
The RICS surveyor should report on any visible signs within the grounds of the property, although if they can see the weed in a neighbouring property, they may inform you if this is visible.
What is Japanese knotweed?
Japanese Knotweed (Fallopia japonica) is a tall, fast-growing Japanese plant of the dock family and has bamboo-like stems and small white flowers. It was originally brought to the UK in the mid-19th century because of its beauty - with red stems and deep green leaves - but it has become a scourge for homeowners.
It can grow up to 20cm every day, and its roots can go down to 3m deep. It can grow through concrete and tarmac, and it has no natural predators. It swamps other plants, denying them light. Although it produces no seeds, it can grow from the tiniest fragments of rhizomes, which are the underground network of stems and roots.
What happens if Japanese Knotweed is found?
While previously, RICS surveyors would use the 7-metre rule, they now use a management category system if Japanese Knotweed has been found:
- Category A: Category A is the most severe, where Japanese Knotweed is visible and causing material damage to the property. In this instance, the RICS surveyor will recommend a remediation specialist.
- Category: Category B is where Japanese Knotweed has been discovered, but it's not causing material damage to the property, and can prevent the space from being used in the future.
- Category C: Like in category B, Japanese Knotweed has been discovered. This time, however, it's not impacting future use of the area. In this instance, lenders are not advised to do any remediation.
- Category D: Knotweed is not on the property, but has been flagged as being three metres from it. In category D, it's recommended that the surveyors inform the lender or the homeowner, depending on who ordered the survey.
Japanese knotweed survey
If your RICS survey identifies that the property has Japanese knotweed, either in the ground or close to it, then you should get a Japanese knotweed inspection from a company that will:
- 1
- 2
Japanese knotweed report heatmap
Andrew started his career in 2000 working within conveyancing solicitor firms and grew hands-on knowledge of a wide variety of conveyancing challenges and solutions. After helping in excess of 50,000 clients in his career, he uses all this experience within his article writing for SAM, mainstream media and his self published book How to Buy a House Without Killing Anyone.
Caragh is an excellent writer and copy editor of books, news articles and editorials. She has written extensively for SAM for a variety of conveyancing, survey, property law and mortgage-related articles.
