Professional Termite Inspections Melbourne & Victoria
A professional termite inspection is recommended at least once a year for homeowners in mainland Australia, as part of a termite management plan to protect your property.
Part of the reason for this is that termite damage is not covered by standard home insurance.
Of course, if you’re worried your home is under termite attack, a comprehensive termite inspection needs to be carried out immediately.
IMPORTANT NOTE:
If you think you have termites, don’t disturb them and don’t spray them with insecticide!
This only frightens them from the area but doesn’t eliminate the problem and it makes it more difficult for a termite professional to work out what is going on and to carry out a termite treatment.
If you’re worried you might have termites just give us a call!
Call the Termites VIC TERMITE HOTLINE: 1800 113 112
Why choose Termites VIC for your Termite Inspection?
- We are termite specialists!
- All our termite inspectors are fully qualified and insured
- Our team have been carrying out termite pest inspections in Melbourne for over 35 years!
- We take our time to carry out a comprehensive inspection
- To back up our expert termite inspectors we use state-of-the-art termite detection technology, including the FLIR E6 thermal imaging camera and Termatrac T3i
- We provide a comprehensive multipage report with photos (see below for more details)
- We are always happy to discuss our findings
What our customers say…
The Inspection Process
As a minimum, termite inspections need to be carried out according to Australian Standards AS:3660.
However, at Termites VIC we also inspect for borers and wood decay as part of our standard inspection. It makes sense to inspect for and report on any timber pests that could be attacking your property (not just termites). As such we carry out our inspections according to Australian Standard AS 4349.3, Timber Pest Inspections.
It’s important to understand that, from both a technical and insurance point of view, termite pest inspections are visual inspection. Although we use equipment to help us see what is happening behind walls, we are not allow to move items or break open walls. Such activities can only take place if you agree to an invasive inspection.
The visual inspection is designed to detect 3 main issues:
- Signs of termite or borer activity
- Any termite damage, borer damage or timber decay damage
- Conditions or construction faults that may make a termite, borer or timber decay attack more likely
- Land within the property boundary, within 50 m of the main building, looking at trees, fencing, landscaping elements and any out-buildings
- Building exterior
- All rooms within the house
- Sub-floor (if present)
- Roof void
- Garage
- Termite activity – live termites, termite nests, termite mud tubes
- Termite damage – Apart from obvious damage, bouncing floors, doors/windows that don’t close, slight imperfections on walls and paintwork
- Borer activity / damage
- Timber decay
- Conducive conditions
- Poor drainage around and under the building
- Leaks in roof, guttering and downpipes
- Leaks in showers, laundry, kitchen and other plumbing
- Air conditioning / hot water not discharging to drains
- Issues with soil levels around building
- Obvious construction flaws
- Potential concealed termite entry points
According to Australian Standards, termite inspections are visual inspections, which means we are not allowed to move objects nor cause damage to surfaces. However, we do use a range of different equipment to help us see what might be going on behind walls:
- Donger – a tapping rod which is used to sound timbers (our expert inspectors can tell from the sound whether there are potential issues)
- Tramex Plus Moisture Meter – this is a vital piece of equipment for help us to detect increased moisture levels behind walls, which could indicate a leaking pipe or even termite activity
- Thermal imaging cameras – these are useful for detecting differences in the surface temperature on walls, which can help find termite activity
- Termatrac T3i – is a specialised termite detection equipment. If has a range of capabilities, including a motion detector which can pick up the movement of single termites behind walls
The Inspection Report
Our comprehensive reports are multi-page reports with photos, according to AS 4349.3 and include:
- Identify any timber pests present (termites, borers, timber decay)
- Details of any visual evidence of current and/or past timber pest activity
- An assessment of any damage that is visible
- A thorough assessment of the vulnerability of your property to timber pest attack
- Recommendations to fix issues and improve conditions around the property to make a termite attack less likely
- A timber pest management plan (if necessary), to provide long lasting termite protection for your property
We are always happy to answer any questions you may have about the findings in the report.
Frequently Asked Questions
The cost of an inspection varies depending on the property… it depends on the size of the house, the construction type (eg. does it have a sub-floor) and the size of the property. The more time it takes to carry out the inspection, the higher the cost. Please give us a call for a quote. Read our blog for more information about the factors that impact the cost of a termite inspection in Melbourne.
As standard home insurance does not provide cover for termite damage, and termite damage is more likely than fire, flood or other natural disaster combined, it is important to consider a termite inspection as part of your home insurance activities.
Inspections typically take between 1.5-2 hours for an average home, but it depends on size of the property and the construction of the building. Clearly a property with more land or rooms to inspection will take longer to inspect, as will buildings with sub-floors.
A termite inspection (carried out according to Australian Standard AS 3660) is only looking for termite activity and is typically carried out for homeowners. A pre-purchase timber pest inspection (carried out according to Australian Standard AS 4349.3) is looking for evidence of termite activity, borers or timber decay and is typically carried out for home buyers for a property they are interested in purchasing.
No. A termite inspection is carried out to Australian Standards AS3660 and is a comprehensive inspection with report, a service which is covered by the inspecting company’s insurance. A termite check is a free service, which is often used by companies to allow them to provide a quote for a termite treatment. However, they will need to carry out a comprehensive inspection before carrying out any treatment. Unfortunately, some companies promote termite checks as being the same as termite inspection to unsuspecting homeowners. They are not the same and homeowners are not protected by insurance if they rely on the findings of a “termite check”.
Governments, Building Authorities and Australian Standards recommend that homeowners have inspections at least every 12 months, but more often in areas of high termite activity.
Of course, if you suspect you have termite activity on your property, you should get your home inspected immediately, so any treatment can start straight away to minimise any potential damage.
Evidence of termite activity can include squeaky and buckling floorboards, loose tiles, jammed doors and windows, piles of discarded wings, droppings, and mud tubes.
- Live termites
- Mud tubes
- Flying termites / termite wings
- Termite droppings
- Termite damage:
- Imperfections on walls and paintwork
- Squeaky / spongy floorboards
- Doors / windows not closing properly
Check out our blog for more details and photos on the signs of termite activity.
Book a Termite Pest Inspection Today
An astonishing one in three homes is susceptible to termites, causing millions of dollars of damage every year in Victoria alone. Even worse, termite damage isn’t covered by most insurance policies.
A comprehensive inspection conducted by Termites VIC Termite & Pest Control is the first step to ensure your home is safe from the devastating effects of termites. Call us on 1800 113 112 to speak with our friendly staff, or contact us online to book your inspection.