What Is Pest Inspection?

A Pest Inspection or Termite Inspection entails a timber pest inspector completing a visual pest and termite inspection of all accessible and available areas of a property for the presence of active termites and/or termite damage. Pest inspections are performed by individuals who are fully licensed for inspecting building structures. A pest inspection in Melbourne determines the damage or the possibility of damage occurring due to the presence of insects, bugs, termites or conditions of dry rot. A pest inspection in Melbourne is usually required when buying or selling a new property. Investors always want to be sure that the property which they are interested in will offer very good value for the money invested.

What Do We Look for In A Building and Pest Inspection?

Also called a termite inspection, this visual inspection is conducted by a state-licensed professional hired to look for signs of infestation or damage to a structure by wood-destroying pests. Pest inspectors look for: Wood-destroying pests, such as termites, carpenter ants, rot fungus and wood-infesting beetles. During building and pest inspection in Melbourne property inspectors will look for the following clues: BUILDING INSPECTION: Building Interior Signs of dampness in the flooring and walls. Presence of rot or decay in the building. Sings of water penetration to the ceilings. Checking the working condition of doors, windows and blinds. Checking all wet areas like laundries, kitchens and bathrooms. Presence of mildew or dampness in the storage cupboards. Checking the plumbing system for the presence of leaks and drainage. Waterproofing systems. Roof Cavity Signs of damage to insulation or electrical wiring. Evidence of water leakage. Signs of possible infestation by mice, rats or other rodents. Building Sub Floor Presence or absence of hazardous material. Checking the adequacy of the overall ventilation. Detecting signs of dampness. Roofing Materials Signs of damage to tiles, guttering, downpipes, flashings, box gutters, ridges and valleys. Ensuring that the roofing is secured correctly. Building Exterior Searching for cracks in the wall. Checking the condition of the fences, gates, balconies, verandas, decks, pergolas and patios. Examining the hot water system and safety switches. Looking for the presence of rotting timber around the windows, doors and posts. Main Site and Boundary Evidence of water retention, ineffective drainage or possible damp within this area. Examining and commenting on the state of the steps, retaining walls or driveways with relation to cracking and possible subsidence. Checking the outbuilding for determining structural integrity and safety conditions. PEST INSPECTION: We will search for areas where possible dampness could arise, as these are the conditions where the pests may reach. Property Exterior: Examining the home appliances adjacent to the outside walls that could allow water release and make the area damp. Ensuring that the water overflow pipes are directed away from the building. Identifying areas containing garden debris, timber or household items that may be stored in close proximity to the building, and contributing to termite growth. Locating possible build-up of garden beds or soil close to the building that restricts airflow and enhances termite access. Undertaking a full inspection of the trees, fences and outbuildings for finding signs of pest infestation. Property Interior: Identifying major plumbing leaks including kitchens, bathrooms, laundries and within cupboards. Checking interior timber for signs of damage and indication of hollowness. Property Sub Floor: Ensuring that the ventilation ducts contain no obstructions and are allowing free flow of air throughout the subfloor. Identifying discarded timber materials stored under the house which can encourage termite growth. Signs of poor drainage blocked weep holes or other decay. Signs of water leakage from the wet area of the property that can assist termite activity. Property Roof Void: Checking for evidence of leakage from the plumbing, roof or external drainage with signs of pest activity in the materials.

How Much Does It Cost to Get a Pest Inspection?

The amount of money charged for a pest inspection in Melbourne is dependent on a number of factors like: Size of the property. Level of inspection required. Type of inspection required. The pest inspection services generally involve these costs: Termite Inspection: $250 to $350 Pre-Purchase Pest Inspection: $200 to $350 Combined Building and Pest Inspection: $400 to $600

What is your Pest Inspection Checklist?

When property inspectors examine a property, they look out for the following pests: Ants, Bed Bugs, Beetles, Cockroaches, Earwigs, Fleas, Flies, Fruit Flies, Gnats, Millipedes, Mites, Mosquitoes, Rodents, Termites, Silverfish, Spiders, Stinging Pests, Stink Bugs, Ticks, Weevils, etc.

What Happens During A Pest Inspection?

During a pest inspection in Melbourne, every part of the property is inspected thoroughly from the basement to the roof, indoors and outdoors. For this purpose, advanced techniques like moisture metres, digital photography and thermal imaging are used during a pest inspection in Melbourne. The evidence of structural damage and pest infestation is reported. Suggestions and recommendations are then provided by the inspectors. The course of action which will follow may include further inspections. If there is the presence of a pest, then pest control and preventative measures are recommended, along with a list of the costs.

What’s in the pest inspection report?

The inspection will be a multi-page report (with photos) detailing the areas inspected (and not inspected, with reasons), any areas of current pest activity, previous pest activity, areas of damage, construction faults that may cause pest issues, drainage and other environmental issues. It will also include any recommendations for further inspections and any treatments that may be necessary. Along with all the legal speak, these can be lengthy documents, so talk to the inspector if you need to clarify anything. A pest inspection includes scrutiny and evaluation of the following: every room of your home sub floor roof voids outbuildings such as sheds fences stumps retaining walls Pest detecting tools/ WHAT EQUIPMENT SHOULD A PEST INSPECTOR BRING? Thermal imaging cameras: helpful in locating termite nests and activity. Moisture meters to measure the moisture within your walls: pests love moisture and humidity. Termatrac microwave radar detection units: tracks live termites within your walls and helps to determine where the main nest is. Heinemann boroscopes: useful in assessing live ants and any damage that they have caused.

Building and Pest Inspections: What to Expect?

All standard procedures are followed on the day of the inspection including: Arrival on Time Property inspectors arrive on the property premises on time and as per the schedule discussed. Two inspectors inspect the property simultaneously. Use of Latest Tools and Equipment Pest inspectors may need to wear safety garments and carry specialized equipment. This is essential for accessing the property correctly and finding protection from injuries. Providing Credentials The professionals who visit a property may provide their credentials to the property owners for following proper identification protocols. Comprehensive Inspection Our inspection services are quite comprehensive, and we check for all possible signs and proof of pest infestation. Inspection Report All inspections are accompanied by a report which provides information about the property condition along with the cost involved in fixing the damage. The report will be provided to the clients within 24 hours of inspection. Follow Up Follow up services allows the clients to detect future pest infestation before any damage happens to the property. It is a good way to keep the property pest and damage free.

Why do you need a pre-purchase building inspection?

There might be rising damp, draining issues, leaks or cracked walls (which may indicate wall / soil movement), leaking roofs and safety hazards. This might lead to Underpinning or Restumping or even Reblocking. These, are the common defects a building inspector can identify during your Pre-purchase building inspection. A building inspector also provides cost to repair the damages, this is a crucial moment for the buyer as the buyer get a strong point to renegotiate the price of the house or even make a decision if they want to purchase the property. Pre-purchase building inspections are designed to determine the condition of the house before making a decision to purchase the property, so you can determine if there are any major issues (big or small) that will need to be rectified.

Why do you need a pre-purchase pest inspection?

A pre-purchase pest inspection or more accurately a pre-purchase timber pest inspection is an inspection carried out on a property by potential buyers, before purchase. There is a difference between a Termite Inspection and Pest Inspection. In the property the owner owns might also specifically includes other timber pests including borers, wood decay fungi and mould. The costs in treating for these pests, remedying any prevailing conditions and repairing damage can then be taken into account in negotiations on the property.

Do I need both a building and pest inspection?

A building inspection is always different to Pest Inspection. Although there is a bit of overlap in the content of these two inspections, there are major significant differences, therefore it is always important for the property/home/building buyer to get both building inspection and pest inspection performed. This would also, help the buyers to get the negotiation power. Although in a building inspection any visual termite damage will be identified, though it does not specifically look for active termites, borers or wood decay. This preliminary building inspection will raise a doubt to the building inspector to reinvestigate in detail into timber pest inspection. More importantly the timber pest inspection not only covers all the same areas of the building and site as the building inspector, but also involves inspecting up to 30m from the main building to inspect for signs of termite activity that may become a future threat to the property. This will help the building inspector to inform the buyer if they would require a further inspection to identify timber pests. It is always suggestable to use both Building and Pest Inspection in a package. When do you need these inspections? Do not make this mistake of buying the property worth hundreds of thousands of dollars now a days its too less, the real estate is at its peak and its reaching easily millions of dollars, then identifying that there is some problem in the property/building/house and getting a property/house/building inspections or even a pest inspection. With Pre-purchase inspection, it would reveal these problems before hand and will save you your time and money. It is always suggestable to be carried out pre-purchase – before the buyer completes the purchase of the property. This means the inspection is carried out before placing on offer on a property/house/building or during the cooling off period. This gives the buyer power to re-negotiate the price if required (depending on the findings of the inspection) or even cancel the deal. If you are bidding at an auction, these inspections have to be carried out before the auction – once your bid is accepted, the deal is closed!

Should you ask for a combined building and pest inspection in Melbourne?

A number of Property Inspection Companies in Melbourne provide both building and pest inspections as a package. In combined building and pest inspection Melbourne, it allows both Building inspector and pest inspector to cover both the inspections at the same time. This would allow the company to reduce the overhead costs and save time. Hence, the combined building and pest inspection in Melbourne is always cheaper. Our cost for Building and Pest inspection in Melbourne starts from $520. In this situation it allows both Building and Pest inspectors to have different perspective and can result in a further filtering the inspection and will give you a self-confidence and positivity towards the property before purchasing it. Dramatically reducing the chances of an issue being missed.

How should you choose your building and pest inspectors?

Normally, real estate agents would like to recommend building inspector and pest inspector but the reason is they have their preferred building inspectors and pest inspectors. It is always preferred to hire an independent building inspector and pest inspector from 360 Degree Property Inspection. Real estate agent normally does not like any inspectors going in depth in details with the inspection because they would loose the bargaining price and a good amount of commission from the seller. We, are such a kind of building inspectors and pest inspectors who are very particular about even minute details. We always support our customers and service our customers beyond what is expected. We place ourselves in customers shoes and understand they are spending hard-earned money on buying the house or property. It’s the quality which we are after. If you are looking for a cheap inspector then with cheap cost normally you would receive cheapness in quality of the inspection. So, I think you’re the right judge of how you want to spend your hard-earned money. Beware, you are investing big money into purchasing the property so its better to spend on quality building inspector and pest inspector. Check qualifications, licenses and insurance. Make sure the inspector is qualified to carry out the inspection and has the required license to carry out this work in your state. (As a general point, pest inspectors need to have a license to carry out timber pest / termite work in addition to their general pest license). They should also carry professional indemnity and public liability insurance for the specified inspection work. A good inspection company will have no issue showing you these documents on request.

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Building Inspections Melbourne

CONTACT DETAILS

WE TAKE PRIDE IN OUR WORK, OUR PROFESSIONALAPPROACH AND OUR ABILITY TO MAINTAIN A STANDARD THAT OTHERS ASPIRE TO REACH!

WE TAKE PRIDE IN OUR WORK, OUR PROFESSIONAL
APPROACH AND OUR ABILITY TO MAINTAIN A STANDARD THAT OTHERS ASPIRE TO REACH!