Bamboo may pose mortgage lending risks

Homeowners are unaware of the risks posed by encroachment of bamboo from adjoining properties and the costs of repairing the serious damage it can cause, research suggests.

A YouGov survey of more than 2,000 people commissioned by invasive plant specialist Environet found that almost a fifth of British adults have had bamboo on their own or an adjacent property.

Despite bamboo spreading faster and further than Japanese knotweed, only 24% of people said they would be concerned if it was growing near their home, suggesting a lack of awareness of the risks, Environet warned.

This could be an issue that comes up in a survey and could stifle sales.

Nic Seal, founder of Environet, said: “Bamboo encroachment is one of the most common problems we deal with, since unlike knotweed, it’s still being marketed and sold in garden centres up and down the country with no warning of the risks – and planted directly into the ground by unsuspecting homeowners.

“There are hundreds of varieties of bamboo and it might take ten years, but most types will become invasive eventually. Since it’s usually planted along boundaries, it can very quickly lead to legal disputes which are expensive to resolve.

“As such cases become more common, I wouldn’t be surprised if mortgage lenders start to look more closely at the issue and impose lending restrictions, similar to those for Japanese knotweed.

“That would at least provide some protection to innocent homebuyers who unwittingly inherit a problem that could subject them to costly removal work and even a legal claim.”