If you have Japanese knotweed on your land, you're not obliged to destroy it, but it is your responsibility to ensure that this invasive weed doesn't spread to anybody else's property. Should the plant spread on your watch, you may find yourself liable from a legal standpoint.

So what happens when there's Japanese knotweed on land adjoining yours? Should you just sit back and relax, safe in the knowledge that you'll be entitled to compensation if the owner of the neighbouring plot allows their knotweed to encroach on your property?

Well, that's not what we recommend. Far better to take action now and make sure you're covered if the knotweed next door becomes your problem as well.

Have you spotted Japanese knotweed on your property and are worried you may be breaking the law by doing so? Well, don't worry, because it IS NOT a criminal offence to have Japanese knotweed on your property.

SHORT ANSWER: To kill Japanese knotweed, we recommend a three-year herbicide programme, followed by a two-year monitoring period to make sure it doesn't come back. However, we also offer excavation and removal if you need quick results.

Like old habits and Bruce Willis, Japanese knotweed dies hard. This invasive plant species is tough and versatile - it can grow in all sorts of different environments, and it's very difficult to destroy. Just when you think you've gotten rid of it once and for all, spring arrives, and those purple shoots emerge from the ground yet again.

Advice for anyone who's buying or selling a house, flat or commercial property that has Japanese knotweed within the property boundaries (or nearby)

The short answer: Yes, it's possible to get a mortgage on a property with Japanese knotweed present for those with an insurance-backed guarantee. 

If you find out that you have Japanese knotweed on or near your property, don't panic - it's not the end of the world! Many people don't even know they have Japanese knotweed in their garden until they put the property on the market and the invasive weed is noticed by either the estate agent or building society surveyor.

Japanese knotweed has been plaguing homeowners since the 19th century, and it doesn't look like it'll be slowing down anytime soon. Landowners who leave Japanese knotweed untreated are usually the root cause of the problem. One minute the Japanese knotweed is contained to their land, and the next it crops up in all the gardens in the street! 

If you find Japanese knotweed on your property (and you know you didn't put it there), then the first thing that you'll want to get to the bottom of is where it came from and who's responsible for it. Japanese knotweed can cause structural damage, reduce the value of your home and is expensive to remove so there's no doubt that you'll want to make a compensation claim as soon as possible.