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What a termite inspection covers, and what it cannot

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A timber pest inspection is a visual examination of accessible areas on one day. Knowing what that excludes is the difference between a useful report and false comfort.

The standard sets the scope

Timber pest inspections of homes in Australia are carried out to AS 4349.3. Two words in that standard do most of the work: visual and accessible.

Visual means the inspector looks. The inspection is not destructive: linings are not cut, floor coverings are not lifted, and finishes are not damaged. Accessible means areas that can be safely reached and entered on the day, without moving heavy stored goods and without dismantling anything.

Together those two words explain why a report saying no live termites were found is a much narrower statement than most buyers read it as. It says: on this date, in the areas I could see and reach, I found no evidence.

What is normally inspected

  • The interior: skirtings, architraves, door and window frames, built-in cabinetry, anywhere timber meets a wet area.
  • The roof void, where accessible: trusses, rafters, ceiling joists and the top plates.
  • The subfloor, where there is one and where there is enough clearance to get in: bearers, joists, piers and stumps. This is where problems are most often found.
  • The exterior: the perimeter, weep holes, the slab edge, cladding, decks and steps.
  • The grounds within the property boundary: fences, retaining walls, stumps, trees and stored timber.

The instruments, and what they really do

None of these produce a yes or no. They tell the inspector where to look harder.

  • Moisture meter. Finds elevated moisture in and behind timber. Termite workings raise moisture, so an unexplained damp reading in a dry wall is a flag.
  • Thermal imaging: shows surface temperature differences that can indicate moisture or activity behind a lining. It does not see through walls; it sees the wall.
  • Movement detectors using microwave or radar sensing: can indicate movement inside a wall or a timber member.
  • Borescope. A small camera on a probe, used to look inside a cavity through a small drilled hole. This is the only one that involves any intrusion, and it needs consent.
  • Sounding. Tapping timber with a hard object and listening. Unfashionable, free, and still one of the most productive techniques there is.

The most important part of the report

It is the section listing areas not inspected and why. Think of a subfloor with insufficient clearance, a roof void with no access hatch, a wall behind fixed cabinetry. Or a section of perimeter buried under a garden bed. Each of those is a place the termites could be, and the report is explicitly telling you it does not know.

Read that list first. If it covers half the building, the report is telling you less than you think it is. And the fix is often cheap: clearing an access point, cutting back a garden bed, moving stored goods before the inspector arrives.

What the report should also give you

Beyond findings, a good timber pest report records the conducive conditions it observed (the moisture, the bridging, the timber in ground contact) and any termite management system present and its condition. You can act on those parts immediately, without anyone's help. They are covered in risk factors.

Frequently asked questions

Does a clear report mean my house has no termites?

No. It means no evidence was found in the accessible areas on that day. That is genuinely valuable, but it is not a guarantee, and a properly written report says so.

Will the inspector drill or cut anything?

Not as part of a standard visual inspection. Borescope use involves a small hole and requires your consent. Anything more invasive is a separate, agreed piece of work.

Can I do anything to make the inspection more useful?

Yes, and it is the cheapest improvement available: clear access to the subfloor and roof void, move stored goods away from walls, and cut back vegetation from the perimeter before the inspector arrives.

Sources

What this page explains is based on these official sources. If you check one and it does not match what you read here, send it to us and the article gets corrected.

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