Annual Termite inspection

Hi All,
Posting after a long time. Just got a letter from the termite company regarding annual inspection (Yes its been 12 months since they installed it !!!).

Just wondering wether people do arreange these inspections every 12 months ($180) and retreatment every 3 years ?? Would be interested in knowing what others are doing ?

Thanks !

What type of termite protection are you using?

I would be following the recommendations of the termite protection installer as they are the ones who will issue the warranty. Any lapse in their procedures could end up voiding your warranty.

The $180 yearly inspection is pretty stanard but again contact the people who installed the product

Ditto as above. Failure to maintain your existing termite management scheme, could result in your warranty being voided. It would not harm to speak to the company and get an idea of what exactly is involved and for what price.

Thanks for your response House_Of_dreams and Xanthrope!!
Its a reticulation system (pipe around the perimeter of thr house), spoke to the installers and they said that the warranty is void if we do not get the annual inspections. I personally feel its worth doing, just for peace of mind.

DH on the other hand argues that we do not need one, the company recommends it for annual income and that if we do get termites, they will find a way to say the warranty would not cover beacuse of clause so and so anyways.

Therefore just wanted to know if people do get it done regularly.

We have Termimesh at our place. We bought our home November last year and the house is 12 years old.

We had a termite inspection before buying and he said all was fine.

We are going to have the termite inspection annually though as it is better to be safe than sorry!

I am wondering, does anyone know how long Termimesh lasts or it is a lifetime thing, we have no idea?

I think it is either 25 years or lifetime of the house (with certain conditions i.e. not breaking the barrier with work etc), but will check the warranty when I get home if noone answers before then

Look your hubby is quite right and $180 for what they do is almost criminal. However, for $180 a year its worth it. Even if they dont cover you atleast you would find out about the termites before they do too much damage.

Cheers Roadkill

I just got my letter today...can't believe it's 12 months since they put the termimesh in!

While I think the price is a complete rip for what they do it does cover you...and you have to do it every year for the warranty lifetime so they kinda have you there...

In previous house I had termite treatment done and 2 times after that treatment they had to come back and retreat as I'd had an inpection every year. Having said that, both times I found the termites it was days after the inspection where they gave the all clear.

We have granitguard, full brick lower floor and treated wood brick veneer top floor so we arent going to bother with inspections for a while

I have also just recieved the letter stating my annual termite inspecetion is up. $180 sounds alot of money.

I wonder if us the consumer can save some money and purchase the substance to pour into the pipes which arm our house boundry. It would be easier and much more reliable if i was able to goto say bunnings or elsewhere to buy the proper stuff and pour down the pipes. I wonder if anyone knows what we need and where to buy it from

Cheers,

Peter.

$180 sounds like its too cheap! They must do just a visual inspection without thermal imaging or Termatrac. You can't buy termiticide in large amounts to protect your home. That's just as well too, as untrained people using pesticides is frought with danger.

Regards, Bruce

My brother runs a large termite control business in Brisbane and yes you have to have the inspections done but you do not have to use the same company just as long as you have it done on a yearly basis by a certified termite controller unless it is written in the warranty that you have to use a certain company to inspect.

Three years for a re treat sounds like they are using Premise if you had Termidor for Eg. installed than every 8 years is required for a top up treatment , by the way termidor should be the only product used by a professional termite controller if not than find someone who does WHY? our recall rate on termites breaching the barrier of a home is 0%

Having your home inspected yearly is a good idea it gives piece of mind to the owner even if your home is not protected we still advise to have inspections done. I understand about people asking Q. about the inspections but lets say termites do breach the barrier and destroy part of your home it can cost thousands to fix and the main reason to having annual inspections done is to see if the termites have breached.

Make sure the inspector does inspect your home by using certain tools like a miosture metre and a tapping tool, yes thermal cameras can be used but it is not really needed as in QLD the BSA does not recognise the thermal camera but just as a tool to help. Hope this helps.

Craig

A lot of builders get this installed for free. I am beginning to think that this is how the company make thier money.

Thermal imaging bahahahahaha. I doubt it. For $180 you get a guy do a quick walk around the house with a stick with a ball on the end, tapping the wall and thats why people are saying it seems too expensive and I agree. All in all about 15mins of work its an absolute rip.

15 minutes work you are certainly being ripped off there, it takes us 2 hours to do an inspection for $180.00

Yeah I wont name the company but it is a big one here in SEQ. I think it is absolute rip and it really does give the industry a bad name.

I think that the various treatments all have their value and I believe inspections are a vital part of the process. The termite problem is real, although the damage sustained is not really enough to justify the expense. I once repaired a cottage where the termites had wreaked havoc on joists, studs, and ceiling joists. However, the cost over the years, amortised, was not so bad. The problem is in the change from organochlorines to organophosphates, which are less effective. So spray more often? good luck

Great input from Grout Perfect and Leighton
The fact is that regardless of protection, termites can avoid or breach the barriers.
The annual inspection is to minimise damage from infestation if it occurs and is part of AS

You are paying for inspection expertise and the insurance cover if they miss something. Your home insurance won't insure termite damage
Anyone saying that $ 180 for an annual inspection is a rip off is disrespectful and or ignorant.
You don't only pay for what the inspector does, you also have to pay for what he knows and the liability.

Quick question - if there is a double brick house with concrete slabs, you are still required to do perimeter termite treatment and inspections? What for?