Pre-Purchase Timber Pest Inspections Sydney

At an open home, everything's been tidied up and presented to sell. Fresh paint and clean rooms don't tell you what's behind the walls or under the floor. Termites, borers, and decay fungi work out of sight, and the damage is often hidden until someone goes looking with the right gear.

A pre-purchase inspection is independent. I've got no stake in whether you buy the place, so you get a straight assessment rather than a sales pitch from anyone connected to the sale.

What I check

A pre-purchase timber pest inspection covers the three timber pests.

• Termites. Current activity, past damage, and the conditions that raise the risk.
• Wood borers. Active and old borer activity in structural and decorative timber.
• Decay fungi (wood rot). Fungal damage, and the damp conditions that cause it.

I also note the conducive conditions: moisture, poor subfloor ventilation, timber or garden beds against the walls, a buried slab edge. These are the things that invite timber pests in over time.

I go through the whole property I can access: subfloor, roof void, interior, and the full outside perimeter. The thermal camera and moisture meter come on every inspection and pick up activity and damp that aren't visible to the eye. The inspection follows the Australian Standard for timber pest inspections, AS 4349.3.

One thing to be clear on. This is a timber pest inspection, not a general pest check for cockroaches or rodents, and it's not a building or structural inspection. For the building side, get a separate building inspection. The two together give you the full picture.

The report, before I leave

I write the report on-site and hand it to you before I leave the property. With a settlement clock running you don't have days to wait on an email. It covers what I found across termites, borers, and decay, the conditions that put the property at risk, and anything I couldn't get access to and why.

If I find a problem, the report gives you something to work with: grounds to renegotiate the price, ask the vendor to sort it before settlement, or walk away within your cooling-off period. If you go ahead and there's active termites, I can sort the termite treatment once the place is yours, and an annual termite inspection keeps you ahead of anything new. If the place is clear, you go to settlement knowing where you stand.

Timing

Book it as soon as contracts are signed. The cooling-off period on a residential purchase is short, only a few business days, so the sooner I can get there, the more room you've got to act on what I find. Call me, tell me you're in a cooling-off period, and I'll do my best to fit you in quickly. I work across all of Sydney.

How I work

Every inspection is done by me. You're not handed off to a subcontractor. I've been doing this since 2015, across all sorts of properties, and I'll give you an honest picture of what's there. If the timber's sound, I'll tell you. If it's not, you'll know exactly what's wrong before you commit hundreds of thousands of dollars.

Common questions

What's the difference between a timber pest inspection and a building inspection?
A timber pest inspection covers termites, borers, and decay fungi in the timber. A building inspection covers the structure, roof, plumbing, and the rest of the building's condition. They're separate jobs. For a property purchase you want both.

Does this cover general pests like cockroaches and rodents?
No. A pre-purchase timber pest inspection is about the three things that damage timber: termites, borers, and decay fungi. It isn't a general pest treatment.

What if the inspection finds a problem?
You get it in writing, on the day. That gives you grounds to renegotiate, ask the vendor to fix it before settlement, or withdraw within your cooling-off period. Better to know before you sign than after.

How soon can you inspect?
Call as soon as your contract is signed and tell me you're in a cooling-off period. I'll do my best to prioritise it. The earlier you book, the more time you've got to act on the report.

Do I still need one if the property looks fine?
Yes. Timber pests work out of sight, and a property can look perfect at an open home while there's activity in the subfloor or roof. The thermal camera and moisture meter pick up what a look around won't.

Related reading:the difference between a thorough pre-purchase inspection and a tick-box one.