TECHNICAL BULLETIN
ISSUE 40
JUNE 2022
JAPANESE KNOTWEED AND RESIDENTIAL PROPERTY INTRODUCTION TO THE JANUARY 2022 RICS GUIDANCE NOTE PUNIL SHAH MRICS, E.SURV CHARTERED SURVEYORS
Japanese Knotweed is a hardy perennial bamboo-like plant. It is now present throughout most of the UK. A piece of root the size of a little fingernail can grow into a new plant. It has caused serious problems to areas including roadsides, riverbanks and derelict land by displacing native plants and even causing structural damage. It is an offence under the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981 to ‘plant or otherwise cause Japanese Knotweed to grow in the Wild’, and the Environmental Protection Act 1990 designates Japanese Knotweed-contaminated soil as ‘controlled’ waste. The 2012 RICS Information Paper “Japanese Knotweed and Residential Property” has been superseded by the publication of the January 2022 RICS Guidance Note “Japanese knotweed and residential property”. The guidance note has been live since March 2022 and the purpose of this article is to assess the main changes from a lender perspective. We have also provided an update on lender adoption to date along with our concerns on implementation. 13
