Japanese knotweed and invasive plants

Knotweed is an invasive plant which dies back in the winter, but as it emerges in the summer it suppresses all other plant growth.  The main areas it affects are waysides, plant beds, borders and paving¹.

It’s not illegal to have Japanese knotweed in your garden, but we recommend that if you have it on your property you control it quickly as it can become problematic.  Knotweed can grow through cavities and cracks in asphalt concrete and walls which compromises the structural integrity of a property. This in turn affects the overall aesthetics and its value. It’s also worth remembering that you have a legal obligation to disclose the presence of knotweed when selling a property.

To help guide you, one of our insurance partners Markham shares the following advice:

• Inspect your property for signs of invasive plants, especially during the growing season.
• If you identify Japanese knotweed or another invasive species the reach out to a specialist contractor. Work with them to develop a timeline for treatment and removal
• Monitor the property for signs of regrowth
• Select non invasive plants for landscaping – to reduce the likelihood of future issues
• Consider physical barriers – this may help prevent the spread of Knotweed and other invasive plants from neighbouring properties.

Invasive plants and home insurance

Having Japanese knotweed won’t prevent you from getting a home insurance policy, however it’s important to understand the level of cover you have and any exclusions relating to invasive plants. For example:

• The cost of removing invasive plants
• The cost of repairing damage caused by invasive plants
• Legal liability if an invasive plant which you failed to control damages a neighbour’s property

What else should I consider when it comes to home insurance and my garden?

Make sure that landscaping and external structures such as paving, walls, greenhouses, tennis courts, swimming pools, sheds, pergolas, garages and other outbuildings are reflected in your building sums insured. You can read more about what factors to consider when setting you building sums insured in our article: Why your home might be underinsured

Most policies give some limited cover for contents that are always kept outdoors, so it’s important to make sure you have added this all up and that they’re insured for the correct amount. Things to include are garden furniture, BBQs, trampolines etc.

Any machinery you use for your garden, for example mowers, trimmers, forks etc. should be included under your contents sum insured. Specialist items such as statues, sculptures and other garden antiques should be treated as fine art and not simply included under the general contents figure.

Consider the overall cost and replacement of your plants and check the levels of cover provided by your policy. There will be a limit per item, so if you’ve splashed out on a Magnolia or Japanese Maple you may need to increase your insurance cover.

For more advice on your garden please visit: Home Insurance – Your garden

How can Howden help?

Providing advice is at the heart of everything we do, so we always offer clear, sensible, and independent advice about what our clients should insure and how.  We also work directly with specialist high net worth insurance underwriters to tailor insurance programmes which fit our clients’ property, contents and circumstances.

To speak to us about the insurance you have in place for your home and garden, please call
020 8256 4901, or email privateclients@howdeninsurance.co.uk

Sources

1: https://www.rhs.org.uk/weeds/japanese-knotweed