Discover what to look for when choosing a Japanese knotweed removal company with our top tips
Developers and commercial property owners can easily become alarmed when they first spot Japanese knotweed creeping onto their site and perhaps growing rapidly before any measures are brought in to tame this beast of a weed. Simply ignoring it is not an option, as it can create all sorts of problems including damage to buildings along with construction delays and legal issues should it spread.
Many companies have found to their dismay that their efforts at trying to kill off Japanese knotweed ultimately fail. This is one weed that’s incredibly hard to eradicate. Do it yourself, attempts will almost certainly not work. It will most likely spring back to life and keep on growing. Japanese knotweed removal needs to be done by a specialist Japanese knotweed removal company.
This is due to the large root network of Japanese knotweed, which grows down deep into the ground and spreads out wide. The only viable solution is to get in a specialist firm to kill it off for good or remove it— but what to look for in good Japanese knotweed removal companies?
Japanese knotweed expertise
With a problem plant like Japanese knotweed that can potentially damage a company’s reputation if not properly dealt with, you don’t want just any old eradication firm trying to get rid of it. The best Japanese knotweed removal companies have spent years working on the plant and developing the most effective ways of killing if off, on residential as well as commercial properties and sites.
Leading Japanese knotweed removal companies will also have invested in their own research and development programmes, so they can uncover new and more efficient methods of eradicating Japanese knotweed. This can take the form of purchasing a plot of land and growing Japanese knotweed on it — and then using a variety of new approaches to kill off what’s above ground as well as the equally problematic root system underground.
When researching Japanese knotweed removal companies, look for any patents they may hold, either in the UK, the US or elsewhere, for any new equipment, devices or methods of eradicating the weed. If they do have such patents, you can be sure they’ve spent a great deal of time and funding on finding better ways of clearing a Japanese knotweed infestation from a site.
Insuring against a knotweed return
It’s vital to get rid of Japanese knotweed as soon as it appears at a location, but it’s also crucial to ensure it doesn’t return. The only way to give you peace of mind if it does happen to make a reappearance is to have an ironclad, insurance-backed guarantee underwritten by a rated insurer. This means extra work would be carried out at the same location and at no additional cost.
An insurance-backed guarantee is only available from top Japanese knotweed removal companies that have been able to demonstrate to leading insurance firms that they’re experts in their field and are able to properly get rid of Japanese knotweed from a site. The guarantee is typically for an initial period of five years and can often be extended up to 10 years. It may well be required by financial and other firms, as well as government agencies if commercial sites are developing homes or other properties for sale.