Estate agents warned over growing menace of bamboo
Environet reports a 55% annual increase in enquiries for bamboo removal relating to property transactions between June and December 2023.
Invasive bamboo is being flagged by surveyors as an issue when affected properties are bought and sold, forcing sellers to either take action to remove it or accept a discount on the price to reflect removal costs.
The plant is popular for its screening qualities, creating privacy in overlooked gardens but it also has the ability to push through brickwork, drains, patios, cavity walls and even cracks or weaknesses in concrete.
BAMBOO REMOVAL
And plant specialist Environet reports a 55% annual increase in enquiries for bamboo removal relating to property transactions between June and December 2023 as more people become aware of the risks.
The plant is removed by excavating the root ball from the ground and removing every long lateral rhizome from the ground. Even if they’re severed, any rhizomes left behind will regrow via new shoots emerging from the nodes that grow along the stem. It typically costs around £3,500 +VAT to remove bamboo from a residential property.
Nic Seal, founder of Environet, says: “In my view, bamboo is at least as destructive as Japanese Knotweed, due to the astonishing rate at which the runners grow, enabling it to spread and cause damage more quickly.
“Surveyors are flagging the issue much more frequently than they were a couple of years ago and buyers are rightly insisting that bamboo infestations are properly dealt with.”
EXPENSIVE
And he adds: “In addition to damage to the property and garden, buyers need to consider the risk of a legal case from a neighbour if the bamboo has encroached into their property, which could be expensive to resolve.”
Sellers are legally required to declare the presence of Japanese Knotweed on a property when completing the TA6 Property Information Form but bamboo does not need to be declared.
Seal says buyers should be vigilant for signs of the plant on viewings, for example, canes which have been cut back, or new shoots emerging from the ground. A good surveyor should flag a bamboo infestation that’s running the risk of damage or encroachment, and a professional bamboo survey will determine the extent of the infestation and estimated removal costs.
