Pre-Purchase Building and Pest Inspections
Geelong, Surface Coast and Surrounding Victoria
Building and pest inspections are essential if you’re thinking of buying a house. They provide vital information on the condition of the property that may impact your purchase decision. When you’re making one of the biggest investment decisions of your life, it’s important to get professional and comprehensive inspections from a company you can trust.
We always recommend that buyers should get separate building and pest inspections – not only is it important to get specialists who are experts in their field (separate building and timber pest experts), it means you have two sets of eyes inspecting your property rather than one, ensuring nothing is missed!
If you engage Geelong Pest Control for your pre-purchase timber pest inspection, importantly we work for you as the buyer and not the real estate agent. As a result, we take our time to complete our inspections and won’t be rushed, so you get comprehensive inspection reports you can trust.
For pre-purchase timber pest inspections you can trust
IMPORTANT
A pre-purchase pest inspection agreement is required…
Pre-purchase inspection agreements need to be signed before we carry out a pre-purchase pest inspection. This is a standard requirement by insurance companies, and it ensures you have a full understanding of what is and isn’t included in a pre-purchase inspection.
Pre-Purchase Pest Inspections are VISUAL inspections
As the person booking the inspection (the buyer) is not the owner of the home, we are not allowed to move items or damage surfaces and we are reliant on the owner to allow us access to all areas of the house and property. Whereas we do use termite detection equipment, it is still only a visual inspection. If we cannot access all areas of the property, we will let you know in the report and recommend a further inspection once access has been granted.
Buyer Beware!
Whereas sometimes limited access to an area is unavoidable or access is blocked accidentally, sometimes owners will block access to an area on purpose to prevent inspectors uncovering known issues! Pay particular attention if a report notes that access was not possible to specific area.
Our comprehensive Pre-Purchase Timber Pest Inspection
All our pre-purchase pest inspections are carried out according to Australian Standards 4349.
The inspection is designed to determine if there are…
Active timber pests (termites, borers or wood decay) in the buildings or yard
Any signs of timber pest activity or damage on the property
Construction issues or conditions around the house or yard that may make timber pest issues more likely.
Evidence of previous termite treatments
The output of the inspection is a multi-page report with photographs to present the findings of the inspection and importantly make a series of recommendations to fix any issues and propose a plan to provide the long-term protection of the property. This information can then be used to inform a decision on whether to proceed with the purchase and in any negotiations with the seller.
Pre-Purchase Pest Inspection FAQ
What areas of the property do we inspect?
- The outside perimeter of the house
- All interior rooms of your home (include the garage)
- Roof void
- Sub-floor (if you have one)
- Any outbuildings within 50m of the main building
- Areas of the yard on the property, within 50m of the main building, including trees, fencing and landscaping timbers
How long does a pest inspection take?
Our pest inspections typically take 2-2.5 hours. But this depends on the size of the house, whether it has any sub-floor, the number of out-buildings and the overall size of the property.
When deciding on a company to provide a pre-purchase pest inspection, asking how long the inspection will take allows you to compare services more accurately. Some inspectors, especially those recommended by or working for the real estate agent, often complete the inspection in less than an hour. In most cases it’s simply not possible to do this, so there is a significant chance they are missing something significant that may be vital to your purchase decision.
How much does a pre-purchase pest inspection cost?
The cost of a pre-purchase timber inspection depends on the size of the house and property – larger houses have more rooms and so the inspection takes longer / costs more.
When you contact us for a quote, we will ask questions about the size of the house / property you want to inspect.
Is a pre-purchase pest inspection the same as a termite inspection?
No, a pre-purchase pest inspection is not the same as a termite inspection.
A pre-purchase timber pest inspection is a service booked by a potential property buyer looking to assess a property they are interested in purchasing. The inspection is looking for timber pest activity (termites, borers, wood decay), conditions that may make timber pest activity more likely, signs of previous treatments and any other relevant information that may impact the purchase decision.
A termite inspection is a service booked by a homeowner to inspect a property they own for subterranean termite activity and conditions likely to increase the risk of termite attack.
Why choose Geelong Pest Control?
What our customers say
For Pre-purchase Timber Pest Inspections you can trust