How often should I get my home inspected for termites?

Termites may be small but they shouldn’t be underestimated! Of all the pests you are likely to encounter, termites by far have the greatest capacity to cause damage to your home.

Termites tend to avoid open air and light, and as a result their colonies are typically underground, out of sight or within trees and stumps. This means they often go unnoticed for long periods of time, allowing them silently destroy your home.

Each year so many homeowners are left with the financial burden of home repairs due to damage caused by termites, like how termites forced a Parmelia homeowner to move out of her home & left her with a damage bill of over $40,000. The termites had destroyed the roof timbers leaving her home structurally unsafe and this left her with a huge financial strain as damage caused by termites is NOT covered under home & contents insurance.

Though it’s not just the roof you need to be concerned about when it comes to termites. Just take a look around your home – I bet there are plenty of wooden items around creating a feeding ground for termites. From your bathroom & kitchen cupboards, doors, door frames, furniture such as cabinets, sofas, bedframes, draws, shelving, toy boxes, wood floors (if you have them) and even your carpet, is at risk to termite attack. With the average termite colony be made up of 500,000 to 1,000,000 termites silently working 24 hours a day you can see how you could quickly be left with an expensive damage bill, all of which is not covered by your home insurance.

These photographs taken in a Perth home show termite mudding and active termites in a bathroom cabinet.

Termites have destroyed the roof on this Perth home

Termite Inspections

When buying a new home buyers often see the importance of getting a qualified pest controller to carry out a Timber Pest Inspection before the sale is finalised. It’s understood that the fee for a professional pest inspection is small compared with the cost of buying a property that needs extensive unforeseen repairs. However too often once the homeowner has moved into their new home they do not continue with regular Timber Pest Inspections.

To many though this seems crazy, as you now own that home and it’s likely that your home is the single largest investment you will ever make.

Consumer Protection recommends that you arrange for a Timber Pest Inspection by a qualified pest professional at least once a year.

Look upon inspections as essential insurance for your home. Regular inspection for termites and other timber pests can save you thousands of dollars in costly repairs by detecting any termite activity BEFORE major damage is done.

Just because no active termites may have been found when you moved in, doesn’t mean that termites won’t stumble across your home later down the line and decide to make themselves at home.

Even if your home has a current barrier in place to protect against termites you shouldn’t be complacent. Termite treatments / barrier systems do break down over time and there are various ways barriers can become bridged or breached for example; stored items and attachments such as water heaters, patios, pergolas, lattice and steps around the perimeter of the home can create opportunities for termites to bypass any treatments in place. In addition home & garden renovations, floods & / or leaks around the perimeter of the home  can also disrupt termite treatments creating an entry route for termites.

Therefore when it comes to protecting your home against termites annual inspections carried out by a trained professional are key!

To learn more about protecting your home against termites visit the links below or contact our team today on 08 9443 9880.

Termite Treatments
Termite Inspections
Termite Control Measures

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