Pre purchase pest inspections are not mandatory within Australia.
So why should you consider one?
Well, if there’s one thing you don’t need after settling on your dream home or commercial property, it’s finding out you have pesky squatters in your rooftops, floorboards – or worse!
Common household pests are rife throughout Australia. No matter whether you’re out in the sticks or living it large atop of a bustling CBD sky-rise, spending a little extra on pre purchase pest inspections will save you thousands of dollars in the future.
Not to mention improve the habitability of your home!
Spiders under the bed sheets? Hell, no!
While often the last thing that you will consider, pre-purchase pest inspections serve the purpose of ensuring that your property is completely safe to habit from the moment you collect the keys. But what does a pre purchase pest inspection actually cover?
Are pest inspections worth the cost? Or, is this just some grand scheme to extract more money from you bank accounts?
Scroll down to learn more! 👇
–
What are pre-purchase pest inspections?
Creeped out by that photo? Yeah, me too!!
True to the name, pre-purchase pest inspections are services whereby a local pest controller will inspect a property for structural damage caused by pests before you purchase. While this may sound fairly obvious, the process itself can be complex depending on the age of your home.
Most modern homes will be free of termites, which are the primary culprit of structural housing damage, however, older properties may have been patched up by previous owners when looking to sell. As such, it is the duty of both a building inspector and pest-control company to ensure that your property is safe before you gain entry.
Pre purchase pest inspections are a major part of buying a house and come highly recommended. While states such as New South Wales, Victoria and Western Australia do not suffer from termites as severely, it is estimate that 1 out of every 5 homes in Queensland will be at risk of termite infestation.
–
What’s involved?
When you think of pest inspections, the most common critters that will spring to mind will be rats, bees and cockroaches. Each of these types of critters will also be inspected by the company undertaking the inspection, however, the primary focus will be to look for signs of structural damage to your property.
Price dependant, pre-purchase pest inspections include:
- Visual inspection of the building
- Visual inspection of any basements and subfloors.
- Details of current and past pest activity.
- Damage to timber and other parts of the home.
- Review of previous pest control treatments.
- Recommendations for pest removal or prevention services.
While fixing any issues may not occur on the same day, identifying what needs to be remedied before purchasing the property is vital to ensuring you do not get stung! To find out more about pre-purchase pest inspections, we caught up with Matthew Behman at Pestline for a rundown:
A pre-purchase pest inspection will take 1 to 2 hours depending on the property size. Our focus is the structural safety of your new property. However, we will also hunt for other critters that won’t destroy your property, but are not exactly the best tenants.
If structural damage is present, we will firstly eliminate the active termite infestation and then provide a report to take to the original builders or your local construction company so they can quote to fix the damage. From here, we would recommend re-visiting once the structure of the building has been fixed to be completely sure.
Typically, a pest control company will arrange a time with the real-estate agent and yourself to comprehensively inspect the property and provide a safety report. At times, a building inspector and home electrical inspection company will also be present to ensure that the entire property can be signed off with one clean sweep.
–
Are pest inspections mandatory?
A pre-purchase building and termite inspection is not mandatory. However, while not strictly required by law, you have rights as a potential new property owner. The primary right being that you need to know that the property is a good investment. The cost of fixing termite damage can be extensive. Therefore, you cannot be too safe; especially with an older property.
–
How much do pest inspections cost?
Like most home and home improvement services, the cost of pest inspections will vary depending on the size of your property. Taking variance for different states into account, the cost of pre-purchase pest inspections will fall anywhere between $150-300.
If you are looking to double up and obtain building inspections prior to purchase, the cost for both of these services will fall anywhere between $450-$650 depending on your state. Cost aside, it is recommend to complete a building and pest inspection when:
- You’re buying a home.
- You’re selling a home.
- You’re worried that your home may be at risk from pests.
- You haven’t had a pest inspection for two years.
–
Are pre-purchase pest inspections worth it?
Absolutely. Pre-purchase pest inspections are worth every cent. The cost of pre-purchase inspection services are negligible compared to the cost of fixing structural damage after your purchase your property. You cannot put a price on comfort and both building and pest inspections will go a long way to ensuring that you buy the right property.
In addition to saving your bacon, pre purchase pest inspections can also help you negotiate on the property value. Let’s assume you are buying a property that has been identified as a building with structural damage due to termite infestation, this provides you with a huge bargaining chip when negotiations boil down to the final stages.
As much as a few hundred bucks and additional time in the buying process might seem like a burden, there’s nothing worse than getting stung!