Selling a Sydney Home? What to Do About Termite Inspections Before You List

The buyer's pre-purchase inspector finds what's there. They're working for the buyer. Their report goes to the buyer. If there's active termite activity, significant damage, or conducive conditions likely to raise concerns — you find out from the buyer's solicitor, usually at the worst possible moment in the sale.

The alternative: find out yourself, before you list, and decide what to do about it on your own terms.

That's the logic behind a pre-listing termite inspection. The findings are yours. The timing is yours. What you do with them is a decision you make with your solicitor and agent, on your own timeline.

What a pre-listing inspection covers

The same scope as a buyer-side AS 3660.2:2017 timber pest inspection. Full subfloor crawl where accessible, roof void, perimeter walls, exposed structural timber, fences and outbuildings in the inspection zone. I bring the thermal imaging camera and moisture meter on every inspection — both listed as Additional Tests under AS 3660.2 when moisture is detected without an obvious source.

The inspection doesn't cover areas I can't get into — locked sub-areas, areas obscured by stored goods, or spaces that require dismantling to access. Those get documented as inaccessible in the written report. What I can access, I cover.

The findings are documented in a written report. I write it on-site and hand it to you before I leave. That report is yours. The buyer doesn't see it. What you do with it from there is your decision.

If the inspection finds active termites

Three paths. None of them is easy, but all of them are better than having the buyer's inspector find it.

Treat, repair, and get a certificate before listing. Treatment eliminates the active colony. Structural repairs address any damage. A treatment certificate and post-treatment inspection report document what was done. Buyers' solicitors look for this paperwork, and a properly documented treatment + repair is a much cleaner disclosure than an untreated finding. This path takes time — typically 4-8 weeks depending on treatment type and repair scope, which is why early inspection timing matters.

Treat and disclose with an adjusted price expectation. Treatment is done, colony eliminated, but full structural repair isn't completed before listing. Disclosed upfront, with the treatment documentation, and priced into the sale. Buyers can assess the extent of any damage, get their own building quotes, and factor it in. A disclosed and treated property is a different negotiation from an untreated one.

Disclose untreated. A legitimate path if you're selling quickly and want to let the buyer decide how to handle it. Comes with a significant price discount expectation and a buyer pool that's comfortable taking it on. The disclosure has to be clear and documented.

Which path makes sense for your property depends on the extent of the activity, the sale timeline, and the value of the property relative to treatment and repair costs. Talk to your solicitor about the specific disclosure obligations under NSW conveyancing law before you decide. The legal specifics are theirs to advise on, not mine.

Conducive conditions worth addressing before you list

Active termites are the urgent finding. But even when an inspection comes back with no active infestation, a report full of conducive conditions sends a signal buyers don't love.

A few things that are inexpensive to address and make the inspection report read cleaner:

Subfloor moisture. If the subfloor is damp, the moisture meter will find it. Sometimes it's a fixable drainage issue — ground levels sloping toward the house, a blocked subfloor vent, a condensate pipe dripping against the wall. Fix the source. It costs less than explaining elevated moisture readings at settlement.

Garden mulch against the walls. Mulch doesn't get eaten by termites, but it attracts them and gives cover right at the structure. Pull it back to maintain a clear inspection zone between the mulch line and the wall. Simple.

AC condensate routing. The drainage pipe from a split-system unit often hangs beside the house and drips against the wall or soil at the foundation. In a Sydney summer that's a lot of water in the wrong place. Clip a hose extension onto the outlet and run it well clear of the house.

Buried slab edge. Soil or paving built up against the external wall over the years buries the slab edge and hides any termite mud-trail from inspection. Exposing it is straightforward.

None of these take more than a day or two to sort out. A report that documents them as addressed reads very differently from one that flags them as open items.

Historical damage vs current activity

Two different disclosures. Both matter.

"Past termite damage, no current activity" means the property has evidence of prior infestation — damaged timber, old workings, prior treatment documentation. If the colony was properly treated and the damage has been assessed and repaired (or the extent documented), that's a different conversation than an active infestation.

"Active infestation" means live termites, current mud tubes, fresh workings. Immediate action required; the disclosure is urgent.

The buyer's inspector will find both. What you want to avoid is a situation where the buyer discovers something that your own pre-listing report missed — or that you knew about and didn't disclose. Either scenario creates a much harder sale negotiation and, in some cases, post-settlement legal exposure.

If prior treatment was done but the documentation has been lost, call the company that did the original application. A reputable operator will have the records. Getting that paperwork before listing is worth the effort.

Timing the inspection to fit the sale

Inspect 4-6 weeks before your planned listing date. That window gives you enough time to act on whatever the inspection finds — treatment, repairs, documentation — before the property goes to market.

If the inspection finds something that needs remediation, you'll want the full treatment-and-repair cycle complete before listing if you're taking the first path above. Allow at least 6-8 weeks for chemical barrier treatment plus a post-treatment inspection. If you're listing with disclosure only, the timeline is more flexible, but you still want the treatment documentation in hand.

The one case where you shouldn't wait: if you already know the property has a history of termite activity — prior treatment, prior damage, or you've seen something that looks like activity since you moved in — inspect earlier. Give yourself more runway to work through the options.

Don't leave the inspection to the last week before listing. Rushing a pre-listing inspection into the same window as the buyer's inspection removes all the advantage of doing it early.

Documentation that helps the sale

Buyers' solicitors look for this paperwork. Having it ready makes conveyancing smoother.

Treatment certificate — issued on completion of a chemical barrier or baiting treatment, documenting the product used, the areas treated, and the warranty terms. If you had a barrier installed in the last 8 years, this should be in the property file.

Post-treatment inspection report — conducted after treatment is complete, confirms the colony has been eliminated and documents the current condition. Some buyers will request this independently; having it ready signals a well-managed property.

Repair documentation — quotes and invoices for any structural repairs done following a termite finding. Buyers' building inspectors will assess any past-damage areas; having the repair scope documented is better than leaving them to speculate.

Warranty documentation — the manufacturer warranty on the chemical barrier or baiting system installed. Passes to the buyer with the property.

If you've lost any of this documentation, the earlier you start chasing it the better. Settlement timelines don't wait for paperwork trails to get sorted out.

Book a pre-listing inspection

I'd rather find something now and give you time to deal with it, than have a buyer's inspector find it on the open-home day.

Pre-listing inspections are the same scope as buyer-side — full subfloor, roof void, perimeter, accessible timber. I write the report on-site and hand it to you before I leave. Same price as a standard timber pest inspection.

If you're selling in the next 4-8 weeks and haven't had an inspection in the last 12 months, book now.

Call 0405 790 927 or book at activetermitecontrol.com.au.

NSW Pest Management Licence 5074559.