The prayers of homeowners whose property values are weighed down by Japanese knotweed could have been answered: a new study suggests the plant is relatively harmless.
Received wisdom considers the pervasive plant to be extremely damaging to homes because its roots can crack concrete and damage foundations. Half of mortgage lenders won’t even consider loans on properties affected by knotweed. Only this week a senior Appeal Court judge ruled that neighbours could sue each other if the “pernicious weed” spreads across boundaries. But research by the University of Leeds and engineering firm Aecom, seen exclusively by Telegraph Money, threatens to shatter the knotweed consensus. Despite property owners’ fears of hearing the dreaded words associated with their home, this is the first scientific study into the matter. The report examined 68 homes where knotweed was found, as well as 81 additional sites. It also scrutinised existing research on knotweed damage and quizzed surveyors and invasive species experts.
Read the full details in the Intel-Land
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