Homebuyers are underestimating the risks posed by bamboo, which specialists say can cause more damage to homes and gardens than Japanese knotweed and spark costly legal disputes with neighbours.
A YouGov survey of more than 2,000 adults commissioned by invasive plant specialist Environet found that more than half (54%) of buyers were unaware that bamboo can hinder the sale of a property, cause structural damage or lead to boundary disputes.
Just 38% said they would be put off by a bamboo infestation compared with 71% who would walk away from a home affected by knotweed.
While knotweed is better known and must be declared on property transaction forms, experts say bamboo spreads more aggressively. Its lateral roots can run more than 10 metres, colonising lawns, flowerbeds and patios and pushing beneath sheds, paths and even buildings. Entire canes can reach full height in a single three-month growing season, making it exceptionally difficult to eradicate.
COSTLY MISTAKE
One recent buyer in Exeter narrowly avoided a costly mistake when her surveyor spotted small bamboo shoots during a Level 3 Building Survey.
A specialist inspection revealed 350 square metres of rhizomes growing beneath the garden (main image) of the detached house, with roots spreading into a neighbour’s land.
Pic credit: Environet
“The previous owners were aware of the bamboo but it seems they intended to sell the property without properly addressing the issue or informing me,” said Kathy Sanson, who was purchasing the home.
“Luckily, I had a good surveyor who noticed roots visible in various places and suggested a bamboo survey. That revealed the true extent of the problem. It took a specialist team five full working days to remove it using a mini digger and hand-sifting the soil.”
REMOVAL COST
The removal cost £11,000, which Sanson negotiated to have deducted from the purchase price. The work was carried out under an insurance-backed guarantee.
Emily Grant, director at Environet, says awareness of bamboo’s risks was rising but many buyers were still being caught out.
She adds: “Surveyors are under no obligation to check for bamboo, as they are for Japanese knotweed, so there are plenty of cases where buyers inherit a problem they then have to pay to deal with themselves.
“In one case, a neighbour knocked on the door the day after our client moved in to ask what they were planning to do about the bamboo encroaching into their garden. Sellers don’t have to declare it, so there’s no legal recourse.”
