Bamboo infestations putting property sales at risk - warning

Property sales are being put at risk by failure to tackle infestations of bamboo, according to new warnings.

Invasive plant removal firm Environet claims unmanaged bamboo can spread even further and faster than the notorious Japanese knotweed, causing damage to property and legal disputes between neighbours.

It comes as a survey carried out by YouGov for Environet UK reveals that 8% of homes in the UK are currently directly affected by bamboo with a further 3% adjoining an affected property.

Environet suggests this means that unless the problem is dealt with, 11% of homeowners run the risk of bamboo derailing their property sale.

Almost a third of survey respondents said they would be worried to discover bamboo on a property after they moved in, with the main concerns being its invasive nature, the cost of removal and the risk of damage to property.

Awareness of the problems it can cause is growing, with Environet data showing close to a 50% increase in customer enquiries relating to bamboo removal over the past twelve months.

Unlike Japanese knotweed, there is no legal requirement for a seller to declare the presence of bamboo on a property when they sell, buyers are taking matters into their own hands and requesting professional surveys to assess the risk of damage to property or encroachment to neighbouring homes.

Environet has released a case study of a homebuyer who agreed a purchase on the basis that the seller would pay for removal of the bamboo.

Homebuyer Katherine James and her partner Oliver Jones, not their real names, were surprised at the extent of a bamboo infestation that had been left to run riot in the front garden of the three-bedroom detached house they viewed in Saffron Walden, Cambridgeshire, in April this year. 

Spreading from the border hedge where it had been planted to provide privacy from the street, the bamboo had formed a dense mass of rhizome covering the front garden, destroying the side fence to encroach onto the neighbour’s driveway and growing several metres in height to block views from the first-floor bedroom window.

Still keen to buy the property, the couple agreed with the seller that they would arrange excavation of the bamboo and renegotiated the purchase price to reflect the cost of treatment, including a five-year guarantee. 

Katherine said: “I’d heard bamboo could be invasive but I had no idea it could cause so much damage. 

“On viewing the property we were confronted with a dense bamboo jungle, with new shoots popping up all over the place including on the pavement and on our neighbour’s driveway. 

“Luckily the house was built in the 1980s with solid concrete foundations, so the bamboo’s spread was blocked at the front of the property, sending it upwards against the façade, blocking the windows. The front fence was completely destroyed. 

“We loved the house though, so we still wanted to go ahead with the purchase as long as the seller paid for the bamboo to be professionally removed with a guarantee in case it reappears in the future. If they hadn’t been willing to deal with it properly and pick up the bill, we would have walked away.”

Nic Seal, managing director of Environet, said: “As understanding of the dangers of planting bamboo grows, we’re seeing more cases where it’s holding up or even scuppering property sales altogether. 

“Buyers are right to be concerned but there’s no regulation to protect them, meaning if bamboo starts to cause problems after they’ve moved in, they have no legal recourse against the seller. I would urge all buyers to check gardens for evidence of bamboo and ask their surveyors to do the same. If it is present, instruct a professional bamboo survey and renegotiate the cost of removal off the price, ensuring you have a guarantee for the work just in case it regrows in the future.”

Estate agent Gareth Davies, managing director at Grosvenor Billinghurst in Cobham, Surrey, added: “Often the main concern among buyers when mature bamboo is present, is the risk of the plant spreading across the boundary to the house next door.

“If that happens, they could find themselves landed with a very expensive removal bill or even a legal case. We’re seeing such cases arise increasingly often as buyers become more aware of the risks and it’s usually resolved by the buyer and seller coming to an agreement about paying for its removal.”