If you are in the market to buy a home, a pest inspection is essential. Apart from inspecting the home itself, we inspect every aspect of the property including gardens, timber fences and any other outdoor timber structures such as pergolas, cubby houses, as well as outdoor play equipment and sheds.
Because we work in the pest control industry daily we know what to look for. We are trained and highly experienced in detecting the presence of pests and termites. That’s why any timber structures pique our interest. Being a potential food source for termites, we are diligent that these structures are properly inspected.
GARDEN INSPECTION
You may be wondering why we would inspect gardens. Gardens, trees and shrubs can play a significant role in vermin and pests being able to gain access to a property.
Overhanging branches from trees and shrubs can provide a ‘highway’ for snakes, rodents, and ants to access a property via the roof and gutters.
Gardens that adjoin the wall of a house can provide an easy route into a house for termites.
Gardens that adjoin a house wall can provide an easy access for termites and other pests.
A tree stump that has been left in the garden to rot can be an ideal food source for termites.
A tree stump that became a food source for termites
Once termites take up residence on a property, they will continue to look for new food sources and the house or other timber structures could be their next meal ticket.
Leaf litter or mulch that has stacked up against a timber fence can keep the fence continuously moist. Once again, this is an ideal food source for termites.
Also, you may be wondering why we would inspect outdoor play equipment. Two words: Redback Spiders. Outdoor play equipment can offer a range of hiding places for redback spiders. The same for sheds. Although sheds can provide shelter for a host of critters. Sheds can be one of those places where people intend to sort out one day but it just doesn’t happen even when selling a property!
HOUSE INSPECTION
We check every room in the house including the garage and where possible check the subfloor and roof cavity. The rooms that we pay particular attention to are: the kitchen, bathroom/s, laundry. These are definitely the areas of the house that have the greatest risk for pests and vermin.
We inspect all plumbing to floor connections for evidence of leaks or dampness and pest activity.
HI-TECH EQUIPMENT
If we see some evidence of pest activity, we revert to our hi-tech equipment. We use a thermal imaging camera and a radar sensor. Both pieces of equipment allow us to conduct pest inspections to ‘see’ what is behind walls without having to damage them.
Firstly, the thermal imaging camera is an expensive piece of equipment and not all pest inspection companies use them for that very reason. Our ethos is: do the most thorough inspection possible. After all, buying real estate comes with a huge price tag so who wouldn’t want the most thorough pest inspection?
The thermal imaging cameras detect heat mass and moisture. It will give a temperature reading as a colour guide on the screen. Heat is represented by red and moisture in cool colours – blue, green.
Termites, for example, emit a heat mass of 36C so our camera can detect a termite colony behind a wall. Nobody may have even been aware of their presence yet this highly sensitive camera can detect their presence behind walls.
It’s vital that a termite colony is not disturbed prior to treating them. If disturbed, they can quickly disperse and start new colonies in other areas of the house. That’s where the value of this equipment comes into its own as it provides accurate information as to the location of the colony without the termites having the opportunity to scatter.
Secondly, we use radar technology with a Termatrac T3i. This enables us to look through other building materials such as masonry, bricks, timber, plaster and boards also without inflicting any damage or alerting termites to our presence.
This technology combined with our experience and training enables us to create detailed and thorough pest inspection reports.
It is worth noting that just because a property has termites, it’s not an automatic conclusion the contract has to be cancelled. We can advise you and the homeowner on the extent of the termite infestation and the treatment plan. It would be the homeowner’s responsibility to pay for the treatment and we can provide confirmation the termites have been eradicated once the treatment plan has concluded.
PEST INSPECTION SERVICE AREA
We conduct pest inspections for real estate purchases across:
- Brisbane,
- Logan City,
- Gold Coast North,
- Ipswich,
- Redlands and
- Moreton Bay Region.
BONUS OFFER
When you book a pest inspection for a real estate purchase we offer a free cockroach treatment for that property you buy. This can be done prior to you moving in or any time convenient to you after settlement.
Call today at 1300 304 725 to book a Pest Inspection on the property you would like to buy.
