Termite Inspection Report: What It Actually Tells You

I write your termite inspection report on-site and hand it to you before I leave. Every other inspector I know of packages that up and emails it through, sometimes a day later, sometimes two. I don't work that way. You get the finding while I'm still standing on the property, so if something doesn't make sense you can ask me on the spot instead of ringing an office and waiting on a callback.

A termite inspection report is the record of what I found and what I'd do about it, not a formality and not a rubber stamp. If you've just had one done, or you're due for one, here's what's actually in it, what the terms mean, and what happens next depending on what it finds.

Why it's in your hands before I've left the property

Most inspection businesses split the job in two. Someone walks the property, then someone back at an office writes it up and sends it through once it's typed. That gap between the walk-through and the paperwork is where the useful part of an inspection leaks away. You read a line you don't understand three days later, ring an office, and wait on a callback. Or you don't ring at all, and the report sits in your inbox unread.

I write the report as I go and finish it before I get in the van. The words on the page match what I found an hour earlier, not a summary from memory later. Because I'm still there, you get to point at the exact spot I've written about and ask what it means, right then. No inbox, no wondering if it landed in spam.

What's actually in the report

Every termite inspection report I write covers the same four things, whatever the property looks like on the day: live activity, past activity, the conditions that make activity more likely, and what I'd do about each finding. People tell me I'm thorough. This is where that shows up: in writing, not from memory of a conversation on the day.

I won't break each of those down section by section here. How to Read Your Termite Inspection Report already does that, with real examples of what active and past activity look like. What matters here is the two terms that cause the most confusion, and what to do once the report's in front of you.

What "accessible areas" means

An inspection only ever covers what I can safely get to and see on the day. That's not a loophole. It's how the job is defined under AS 4349.3, the standard that governs timber pest inspections. If part of a subfloor is sealed off, or a section of roof void has no manhole to reach it, the report says so rather than guessing at what might be behind it.

If your report flags an inaccessible area, that's not me being lazy. It's me being straight about what I could and couldn't check. It's usually worth fixing, too: a subfloor manhole tiled over, or a stack of boxes blocking the one way into a roof void, stops an inspection as effectively as it stops you noticing termites yourself. Clear it before the next visit and the report covers the whole property.

What "conducive conditions" means

Conducive conditions aren't termites, and they aren't damage. They're the things about a property that make termite activity more likely. Moisture and timber touching soil are the two most common examples. None of it means termites have found the property yet, just that whatever's nearby has an easier route in.

A report done properly names these by location, the roof void, a specific external wall, rather than lumping them into a general category. The full breakdown of what counts as a conducive condition covers each one in detail.

What to do with the report

Start with the recommendations. That's the part of the report telling you what to actually do next, rather than just what I found. Clearing mulch off a wall or improving airflow under the house is often something you can knock over yourself in a weekend. Other items need a tradesperson or treatment arranged, and I'll say plainly which category something falls into rather than leaving you to guess.

Keep the report itself. It's the property's record for that date, worth keeping on file and handing to a buyer, an agent, or anyone else who needs proof of the property's condition that day. If a chemical barrier or a monitoring system is already in place, its warranty depends on keeping the annual inspections up, so this report is part of what keeps that warranty valid.

Nothing about a termite inspection report is permanent. It's accurate for the day I was there, and conditions on a property change.

If the report finds live activity

If there's live activity anywhere on the property, I'll tell you on the spot, not bury it in the wording and hope you find it later. What happens next depends on how significant that activity is.

Where it's live termites of economic significance, meaning a genuine risk to the structure, that finding triggers a separate document under AS 3660.2: a Termite Management Plan. The two get confused often enough to be worth separating properly. The report documents what I found. The Termite Management Plan is the regulatory document that follows, setting out the proposed treatment and why it suits the property. Termite Management Plans Explained covers what goes into one and when it's required.

Treatment itself, a chemical barrier or a monitoring and baiting system, is a separate conversation, and which one suits the property depends on what's going on there. None of that gets decided while I'm still writing the report. It gets worked through with you, after you've had the chance to ask what I found and why.

Common questions

Why do you write the report on-site instead of emailing it later?
Because the gap between finding something and explaining it is where most of the value in an inspection gets lost. I'd rather answer your questions standing on the property than have you read a PDF alone two days later and wonder what a line means.

What's the difference between an inspection report and a Termite Management Plan?
The report documents what I found on the day, across the whole property. A Termite Management Plan is a separate document required under AS 3660.2, and it only comes into play when live termites of economic significance are found. Different purpose, different trigger.

What does inaccessible mean on my report?
It means part of the property couldn't be safely reached or seen on the day, so I've said that plainly rather than guessing. It's an honest limit on what any inspection can cover, not a gap in the service.

What should I actually do with the report once I have it?
Work through the recommendations, starting with anything urgent. Keep the report on file. If you're covered by a warranty on a barrier or a monitoring system, staying current with annual inspections is what keeps it valid.

Book an inspection, or get your last one explained

If you're due for an inspection, call 0405 790 927. I'll go through the roof void, the subfloor, every room and the external perimeter with a thermal camera and a moisture meter, then hand you the finished report before I've packed the van, not two days later in an inbox.

If you've already got a report and something in it still doesn't make sense, call anyway. That's exactly what handing it over in person is supposed to prevent, so if it's happened, ask.