Pest inspections: what to expect and what they cover

A pest inspection is the partner report to a building inspection. The building inspector looks at structure and condition; the pest inspector looks specifically for timber pests, mainly termites, but also borers and fungal decay. It's one piece of our complete Section 32 guide. Termite damage in Australia is common and expensive, and an inspection that costs a few hundred dollars can save you tens of thousands.

What it covers

The Australian Standard is AS 4349.3. The report looks for:

• Termites (white ants), the big one: active activity, current or historical damage, past treatment, and conditions that invite attack.
• Wood-borers, beetles that bore into timber. Less common than termites but still structural.
• Fungal decay (wood rot), from moisture and poor ventilation, often in subfloors or around plumbing.
• Conducive conditions, even with no live pests: timber touching soil, moisture and leaks, poor subfloor ventilation, and gardens or mulch hard against the building.

What the inspector does

A typical inspection runs 30 to 90 minutes. The inspector walks the exterior, checks the subfloor (where termites usually enter from the ground) and the roof cavity, and visually inspects interior timber like skirtings and architraves. They tap timber for the hollow sound of internal damage, use a moisture meter, and sometimes a thermal camera to find hidden moisture.

The limits matter as much as the coverage. Inspections are non-invasive: nothing is cut, drilled, or removed, so damage behind plaster or tile can be missed, and areas with no access (a sealed subfloor or unreachable roof) go uninspected and are noted as such. Other pests (cockroaches, rodents) aren't included, and the report describes today, not a guarantee about five years' time.

What termite activity looks like

The signs that worry inspectors:

• Mud leads: mud tubes running up walls or foundations. Dry and brittle suggests past activity; fresh suggests current.
• Hollow timber: termites eat the inside and leave the surface, so affected wood sounds hollow and crumbles under pressure.
• Frass: droppings like fine sand or sawdust, sometimes piled below a feeding site.
• Discarded wings: piles of small translucent wings on sills after a swarm.
• Bubbled paint or wavy walls, where damage has reached the wall sheet.

Most reports also flag one or two conducive conditions even with no pests: garden beds and mulch against the building, blocked or insufficient subfloor vents, timber decks or retaining walls touching the house, plumbing leaks, stored firewood, or an expired termite management system. None mean termites are present, only that the conditions favour them.

If the report finds active termites

Your options are to continue and negotiate treatment with the vendor before settlement (a contract point worth raising early), continue and treat it yourself, get a specialist follow-up where the extent is unclear, or walk away where damage on an older home makes the deal uneconomic. Standard treatment by a licensed controller runs $1,500 to $4,000; repairing significant damage can be $5,000 to well over $50,000.

Cost, and getting a good one

A standalone pest inspection in Victoria is typically $200 to $400, or $400 to $700 combined with a building inspection. Look for a licensed pest manager, professional-body membership (such as AEPMA), professional indemnity insurance, and independence from the agent or vendor. Be cautious of vendor-arranged "certificate" reports: whoever paid for it is who the inspector wants to keep happy, and the report may be old or carry limitations you wouldn't accept. Your own inspection is generally worth the extra cost.

When the report lands, read the summary first for any active activity, look at the photos (they tell the story), note which conducive conditions are easy to fix, and check the limitations for any area that wasn't accessed. A clean report tells you the timber is sound; one that finds activity tells you what fixing it costs, and gives you a basis to negotiate or walk away before you sign.

Sources

• Standards Australia: AS 4349.3 Inspection of buildings (timber pests): the Australian Standard for pre-purchase timber pest inspections.
• Consumer Affairs Victoria: Buying and selling property: the regulator's guidance on due diligence before you buy.

Sources verified 25 July 2026. Inspection and treatment costs are illustrative and vary.