Termites and timber pest risk in Pakenham East VIC

Subterranean termites are present through this part of Victoria and a new estate is not exempt. What raises risk on a recently built lot is ordinary and fixable: construction offcuts left buried or stacked beside the house, garden beds built up against the slab, drainage that holds water at the foundation, and trees planted close in while they are still small. A timber pest inspection under AS 4349.3 reports evidence and conducive conditions found on the day. It is not a treatment and it cannot certify a property free of pests, because termites work concealed.

A timber pest inspection is carried out under AS 4349.3 and is separate to the building inspection.

Construction offcuts left in the ground beside a new house are a common conducive condition.

Garden beds built above the slab edge bridge the barrier the slab was meant to provide.

Treatment and any warranty come from a licensed pest controller, not from an inspector.

No inspection can guarantee a property is free of termites, and any that claims to is overselling.

More about Pakenham East

Written by our local inspection team from work carried out in Pakenham East. Licensed building practitioners.

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Termites and timber pest risk in Pakenham East VIC: common questions

Is a brand new house at risk?

Less than an older one, but not immune. The first years are when offcuts get buried, landscaping goes in above the slab edge and drainage gets changed, which are exactly the conditions that create a path in.

Do you treat termites?

No. We report evidence and the conditions encouraging it. Treatment and the warranty attached to it come from a licensed pest controller, and keeping those roles separate is what keeps the report independent.

How often should an inspection be done?

Annually is the general guidance for Victorian conditions, and more often where a property has known conducive conditions that have not been cleared.