Insurance-Backed Guarantees August 29, 2019

Insurance-backed guarantees, also known as ‘insurance-backed warranties’ and ‘IBGs’ are products that are commonly provided to domestic property owners for a variety of works including building works, double glazing works and, more recently, invasive species control.

Japanese Knotweed Solutions Limited have been providing insurance-backed treatments for over fifteen years, and we currently offer a range of modern, cost-effective and streamlined plans as part of our membership of the trade bodies INNSA and the PCA.

We provide a guarantee on completion of the works (subject to terms and conditions), and a third-party insurer provides cover on our guarantee, so that any re-growth will continue to be covered by the guarantee if our company ceases trading.

As well as giving you peace of mind, IBGs are often also required by mortgage lenders to secure funding on properties affected by Japanese knotweed.

We can’t provide advice on these products – clients must choose whether a product suits their needs or not – but we can distribute the following information from the suppliers of the insurance products:

• INNSA IBG Information Guide – 10 Year IBG
• Knotweed New Consumer Leaflet
• Knotweed Express Consumer Leaflet

Herbicide Information August 29, 2019

As part of our commitments to safe environmental practice and in line with our commitments and obligations to health and safety, Japanese Knotweed Solutions Limited are keen to be transparent and safe, and to provide readily-accessible information about the plant protection products we use (including herbicides).

We will supply full safety documentation before we carry out any works, but potential clients, neighbours and other interested parties may find the following links useful.

The following guidance has been provided by the suppliers of Roundup Pro Vantage (a glyphosate-based herbicide), and to the best of our knowledge, this is still the most up-to-date advice.
• ROUNDUP PROVANTAGE PADDOCK
• Roundup ProVantage people and animals safety statement

JKSL use the following products for the treatment of Japanese knotweed and other invasive plants, and we provide the manufacturer’s material safety data sheet (MSDS) for your information.

• Icade MSDS
• Roundup Pro Vantage MSDS
• Katana MSDS
• Mixture B NF MSDS

If you are a client of JKSL or if we treat on or adjacent to your land and you have any queries, please contact us on 01617232000.

Any queries regarding herbicides in general, please use the contact details on the documents provided.

Environmental hypocrites…. August 28, 2019

I have a neighbour who extols the virtue of the electric car and rambles on about how if we all converted to use of electric vehicles the planet would be saved.

He has had a new electric car, each year for the last three years.

He flys to America to give presentations that last roughly 25 minutes.

Then he flys back.

Mike C

Note: anybody that doesn’t understand this blog – it’s probably you that’s destroying our world

Opportunity Knocks August 21, 2019

For every bad thing that happens in life, there’s usually somebody making a profit out of the problem. Your roof leaks – there’s a guy getting paid to fix it. Your car breaks down – call the AA. You find that you have Japanese knotweed…. call us.

You name a problem, and somebody’s making some money.

But dear reader, let me put a thought in your head.

That house that has been for sale for ages, that hasn’t been sold because of the knotweed problem ….?

Maybe you could buy it…?

Maybe the knotweed problem can be sorted and maybe there’s a bargain to be had …?

Most of the issues caused by Japanese knotweed ARE manageable. The plant has gained such a bad reputation it is putting people off even looking at a property with a recognised problem.

You must admit – if there were two identical houses – one with knotweed and one without …. you’d go for the house without the knotweed, wouldn’t you? It’s common sense …why give yourself a problem when you don’t need to …

But this only applies if both identical houses were for sale for say £450K – one with knotweed one without, then obviously buy the house without the knotweed.

What if house 1 (no JK) was £450K and house 2 (with knotweed) was reduced to say £350K

….and the knotweed problem cost £30K to remediate …….you’d have yourself a bargain wouldn’t you ….?

Maybe you could make an offer knowing (with advice from us) what the remediation costs would be?

Maybe, that piece of land that hasn’t been developed due to the invasive plants could be ripe for development with the right approach??

Just saying.

Maybe think outside the box?

Mike C

Solicitors… August 14, 2019

At school there was a bully who used to give me grief all the time, he once stole my pencil and wouldn’t give it back.

Not only did he steal my pencil he then told the teacher that I was trying to steal his pencil…and that I was being a bully. The pencil was his, always had been his and he could give chapter and verse as to why the law would be on his side in any proceedings.

He then went around telling everybody how clever he was.

I eventually punched him in the face and took out one of his front teeth.

Funny though I always wondered what career path he would follow…

Recent dealings with the legal profession would suggest he would have become a solicitor.

Mike C

Cheap people… August 7, 2019

You all know somebody that’s cheap….you don’t want to know them… but you do.

You know the type I’m talking about.

Every conversation that you have with them has a mention of money, usually some bargain they’ve just found, or more usually they’re slagging off something you’ve bought …because they could get it cheaper.

‘What did you pay that for (usually said in a whiny voice) I’d never pay that; I can get exactly the same * (insert item name) * for 50p less.’

Boring, so fucking boring.

Yes, I know if I waited for six months… the shirt I’ve bought …might… be in the sales, and yes, I know it …. might ….be much cheaper …. but;

1. I want it now.
2. I’m an XXL and they never have any left if the sales
3. life’s to fucking short to wait for six months for something that might never happen.

I have a ‘friend’ that I occasionally meet to go fishing with. I only still meet with him because he has access to various waters that I can’t get onto without his membership. This guy makes his own flies – he does this to save the pennies that buying flies from a shop would cost him.

If this guy gets his fly caught in a tree, he will literally do everything he can to get it back – climbing – cutting branches – climbing again …. all for the sake of a fly …that’s cost him …about 3p

This is risking his life …for 3p.

The same guy will do months of research before he ever buys anything. He will visit all the local fishing shops to get advice on the best – line/reel/rod – then go on line and buy from the cheapest supplier he can find. Then if it goes wrong, he takes it back to the shops he got the advice from and ask them to resolve the issue with the supplier.

So, he is spending nothing in the actual high street – yet expecting them to sort his problems free of charge…. and still be in business next year.

Fucking moron.

I was at an event recently where I ended up sat next to a chap who had bought an electric car. He lived in Kent, but had bought his car from Newcastle. I made the mistake of asking whether it was proving a successful purchase.

Oh my god – for the next hour he gave me a ‘blow by blow’ account of how much he had saved.

‘On the initial phase of the journey I saved 23p…I then ran out of charge and asked a house owner if I could use their power supply …this cost me nothing as they didn’t charge me …blah blah blah then I saved 18p on the next section…blah blah blah …(kill me now)…blah blah blah….(where’s the nearest window to throw myself out of) ….blah blah blah…’

For god’s sake – life is way too short to spend your time worrying over pennies.

Please get a life move on with it quickly – throw caution to the wind – spend that extra 50p …. go on…. live dangerously

Mike C