Buying on the Gold Coast
Subtropical termite country
CSIRO puts termite risk highest in the subtropics and tropics, and the termites that attack Queensland houses occur across the whole state. Treat a timber pest inspection as part of every Gold Coast purchase, unit blocks with gardens included, not as an optional extra.
One visit or two
The QBCC says building and termite inspections can be done at the same time if the inspector holds the appropriate licences. If not, you'll have two people, two visits and two reports to line up before your deadline.
Mounds in the yard
Fire ant nests can be mounds up to 40 cm high or flat patches of disturbed soil with no obvious holes. If you see one at the place you're buying, report it to Biosecurity Queensland; that's separate from the inspection, and nobody can tell you from the suburb name whether a property is affected.
What the timber pest inspection looks at
The inspector checks for live termites, damage from past activity, and the conditions that make an attack more likely: leaking pipes and gutters, timber touching soil, garden beds or paving built up over the slab edge, and subfloors that stay damp. They'll tap timber and listen for the dull, hollow sound CSIRO describes, because termite damaged wood can keep a thin outer skin that looks fine.
On a newer home they'll look for the durable termite notice, usually in the meter box, which records the termite management system used, the installation date and how often it should be inspected. A missing notice, or one showing inspections long overdue, is worth a question to the seller.
What it can't tell you
The QBCC says a pre purchase building inspection is not a warranty against future defects. Read the pest report the same way: it records what the inspector could see and reach on the day, so the list of areas they couldn't get into matters as much as what they found.
A useful report includes
- Any live termites found, and exactly where.
- Damage from earlier termite activity, even if it looks old or repaired.
- Every area not inspected, such as a sealed subfloor or part of the roof void, and the reason.
- Conditions that invite termites: leaks, poor drainage, timber against soil, garden beds over the slab edge.
- Details of any termite management system and its notice.
- The inspector's name and licence numbers.
Before you book
- Do you hold a residential building inspector licence as well, or only the pest licence?
- How soon after the visit will I have the written report?
- Can I call you to go through anything you flag?
- If you find termites, will you explain what a treatment would involve without starting any work?
If we were buying
We'd book the timber pest inspection as early as the contract allows, ring the inspector to talk through the report, and organise a separate building inspection unless one person holds both licences. Tap Buying a home with the postcode to start.
Want someone to look at it?
Tell us what you've seen and your postcode, and a local pest business that handles exactly that calls you to talk it through.
