Japanese Knotweed Insurance Cover

[atalanta]

Does anyone know if a normal house insurance policy covers the costs of eradication of japanese knotweed if it appears on the property after you have taken out the insurance policy ? An acquaintance of mine in the west country has just had her house declared worthless because of jk invasion, and I want to know if my regular house insurance would cover the problem. ( This acquaintance is several counties away from me, I might add.) If I am not already covered, I am prepared to take out a specific policy to protect my house and garden from this, if anyone can tell me where to find cover.
I have rung my own insurers, but the call centre can't make sense of their own policy terms. Neither can I.

[EcclesCake]

I know it's a bugger but how has it made a house worthless?

Have the occupants taken know steps to control it?

[Mamyalynne]

Some interesting reading here, not sure if it fully answers you query though.


https://consultations.rics.org/consult.ti/japaneseknotweed/view?objectId=1228372

[ummmm]

Might do if it looks like this...

http://www.google.co.uk/imgres?imgurl=&;imgrefurl=http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-beds-bucks-herts-15461880&;h=0&w=0&sz=1&tbnid=8AEpLnsfGKm7mM&tbnh=136&;tbnw=243&zoom=1&docid=wjIIuU5B3ZVYXM#imgdii=8AEpLnsfGKm7mM%3A%3B6pieaiYGvQru_M%3B8AEpLnsfGKm7mM%3A

[atalanta]

Interesting, but not the answer I need. No mortgage is involved, so no loan needs to be covered. It is my own funds which could be devastated by an invasion, and I don't wish to be put in the position of my west-country acquaintance. Nor do I wish to be bankrupted by rampant Mother Nature.
Any more advice out there, please ?

[pixie373]

My neighbour had the council to do it and she wasn't charged. She owns her own house, but is a pensioner. I don't know if that makes a difference. Maybe RHS site might give more information if you don't get any joy here.

[soapnumpty]

In general terms, no a home insurance policy would not cover this type of thing. Insurance covers the cost of repairing damage to your home caused by a one off event of the perils listed in your policy, ie fire, theft, flood etc. The only situation i can think of where an insurance policy would cover it, would be if the Japanese knotweed was causing your home to Subside. I've never heard of this happening so I don't know if it is possible, but Subsidence is one of the perils you can insure against, so if the knotweed was causing subsidence, your policy would cover the cost to remove the cause, ie the knotweed, and repair the damage to your house.

I'm not aware of any specific insurance cover that you could take out to cover it.