Timber Pest Inspections when purchasing a property
It is extremely important to have a timber pest inspection and a building inspection when purchasing a property. It will be a necessity if the purchaser has to borrow money to buy the house, as the lending body will have the inspections as a condition of the loan.
When buying property, the purchaser can quite often have an emotional attachment to the purchase; therefore an independent inspection will give a balanced view of the property.
When inspecting a property for timber pests, I carry out a very thorough inspection to the building:
- interior
- exterior
- roof area
- subfloor area
and site, including:
- fences
- landscape timbers (see my video of active termites in a carport pole)
- trees and stumps.
Then I compile a fifteen page report detailing my findings.
I inspect the property for activity and damage by
- subterranean termites
- seasoned timber borers
- timber decay (rot)
- timber delignification
- mould
- conditions conducive to timber pest infestation.
I comment on the form of protection in place and whether or not re-application is necessary. This gives the purchaser a lot of very important information, as many purchasers are not aware of their obligations in maintaining a property against timber pests, and hence they run the risk of voiding product and/or Builder’s warranties.
I encourage the purchaser to meet me on site, so that I can pinpoint any issues to them, and this helps them understand the written report by taking generalisation out of the equation. I also explain any issues in plain English, which is appreciated greatly by my clients, especially considering the high stress levels that normally accompany buying property.
I work with a Building Inspection Company, which is totally independent of myself, but it gives the client the advantage of having two specialists (with in excess of 26 years experience each) carrying out the inspection. Both myself and the building inspector are Queensland BSA licensed, and I am the only RSA Accredited Level 6 timber pest inspector on the Sunshine Coast.
I can arrange it so that we carry out our inspections at the same time, thus saving time for the client and selling agent, and we can also offer a very competitive price. In most cases, the report will be furnished within 24 hours of the inspection.
Video of Active Termites
Click the white button to play the video
