Prompt, Affordable Same-Day Pest Control in Melbourne – Starting From $129.
Melbourne’s older homes carry specific risks. A weatherboard in Northcote built on timber stumps. A post-war brick veneer in Ringwood with a damp subfloor. An inner-city terrace in Fitzroy with shared walls running to the neighbouring property. Each one needs a different approach, and our technicians know what to look for.
We inspect homes, units, investment properties and commercial buildings across Melbourne for pre purchase pest inspection, timber pest inspection and building pest inspection Melbourne jobs from $299. Reports are written to AS 4349.3 and ready within 24 hours. AEPMA Member No. 133585.
Our technicians have carried out thousands of pre-purchase timber pest inspections across Melbourne suburbs over more than 20 years. Each technician spends their first six to nine months working alongside a senior technician on every inspection before handling jobs independently. That field experience is what shapes how we read a Melbourne property.
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Our technicians hold current Victorian pest management licences and carry Certificate III in Urban Pest Management from Victorian TAFE. Every report is written to AS 4349.3. That is the Australian Standard for timber pest inspection reports and is commonly requested by solicitors, conveyancers and lenders during property due diligence.
If an inspector is recommended by a vendor, agent or conveyancer, check the scope. Ask whether they hold a Victorian pest management licence and whether the report will be written to AS 4349.3. Those two questions tell you what you need to know.
| Area | What We Check | What We Look For |
|---|---|---|
| Interior | Living areas, bedrooms, bathrooms, kitchen, laundry, joinery, skirting boards, door and window frames, wet areas | Active termite workings, mud tubes, hollow or damaged timber, frass, moisture damage, fungal decay |
| Roof Void | Rafters, purlins, timber lining, insulation areas and eave joins where accessible | Termite activity, drywood termite frass, fungal decay, moisture staining, entry points from eaves |
| Subfloor | Bearers, joists, stumps, footings, drainage, ventilation and moisture levels | Subterranean termite mud tubes, damaged timber, high moisture, blocked weep holes, poor ventilation |
| Exterior | External walls, weep holes, expansion joints, window and door frames, fascia and soffits, base of brickwork | Mud tubes, damaged or hollow timber, timber touching soil, moisture ingress staining |
| Grounds | Fences, decks, pergolas, retaining walls, garden beds, stored timber, stumps within 50 metres | Active termite workings, damaged timber, timber in contact with soil, moisture around the building perimeter |
What our technicians find most often: The subfloor is the area buyers most often miss. Damp subfloors, timber stumps in soil and poor cross-ventilation show up regularly on Melbourne pre-purchase jobs, especially in older homes built between the 1940s and 1970s. These are the conditions that can keep a subterranean termite colony running for years with nothing showing up at ground level inside the house.
Why the inspection approach changes by property type: A 1960s brick veneer in Melbourne’s eastern suburbs is a different job to a weatherboard cottage in the inner north. The brick veneer might have a concrete perimeter with subfloor access through a single hatch, which means termite activity under the slab can go undetected unless moisture readings are taken across the full subfloor. The weatherboard sits on timber stumps, so the risk is concentrated at ground level and along the bearers. Our technicians adjust the inspection approach based on what they see when they arrive, not just what the booking form says.
The Termatrac T3i uses microwave radar to detect movement through walls, floors and timber without drilling. This matters on pre-purchase inspections because you do not own the property yet. No holes, no damage, no access disputes. When the device picks up movement in an area of concern, the technician investigates and records the findings in the report.
A calibrated moisture metre measures moisture content in walls, floors and timber. High readings point to areas where termites and timber decay are more likely. Used throughout the internal and external check.
A thermal imaging camera picks up temperature differences that can point to moisture, pest activity or hidden defects. Anything of note is photographed and recorded.
A tapper is run across accessible timber surfaces. Hollow sections that sound wrong under a tap can indicate internal termite damage or fungal decay. Used on all internal and external timber that can be reached.
Your report includes:
Reports go out within 24 hours of the inspection. A copy can be sent to your solicitor or conveyancer if needed.
Seven months later, a bathroom renovation uncovers subterranean termite workings in the wall cavity behind the vanity. By the time a pest technician attends, the damage to frame timbers and floor joists has been building for a long time. The repair and treatment costs sit entirely with the new owner.
A pre-purchase timber pest inspection would have picked up the moisture in the subfloor and the conditions behind the bathroom wall before settlement. The buyer would have had clear information to negotiate or walk away.
The cost of the inspection is well below what this ends up costing. Call (03) 9034 5957 to book before your cooling-off period runs out.
The species found changes what happens next. Subterranean termites live in underground colonies and travel through mud tubes to reach the timber in your property. Controlling them requires treatment that targets the colony and the soil, not just the visible damage. Drywood termites live inside the timber itself with no soil contact, which means a different inspection approach and a different treatment method. Getting the species right before recommending treatment is one of the main reasons a licensed timber pest inspection matters.
AS 4349.3 covers what the inspection does and what it cannot guarantee. It is a visual and non-invasive inspection of areas the technician can safely reach. It does not cover areas behind built-in furniture, under floor coverings, inside wall cavities or any area that cannot be accessed safely. The report records what could not be accessed and notes what should be checked if access becomes available.
Body corporates need periodic inspections of common areas, shared wall structures and subfloor voids across multiple lots. A written AS 4349.3 report gives the owners corporation documented findings to act on.
Builders and architects working on renovations or extensions on existing Melbourne properties need to know the timber pest condition of the structure before work starts. A pre-works timber pest inspection documents the structure and gives you a written record if damage turns up during the job.
Body corporate or trade inquiry: Call (03) 9034 5957 to discuss what your project needs.
Four things that affect the price:
The price on your quote is what you pay.
Get a quote: Call (03) 9034 5957 or use our online form for a free upfront quote.
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A couple buying their first home in Glen Waverley booked a pre-purchase timber pest inspection during the cooling-off period. The property was a 1970s brick veneer on a standard suburban block. It had been well maintained and presented well at the open home. There were no visible signs of pest activity on the walk-through and the real estate agent had not disclosed any known pest history. The buyers booked the inspection as part of their standard due diligence rather than because they suspected a problem.
Settlement was scheduled for three weeks away. The cooling-off period had four days left when the inspection was booked. The buyers needed the report in time to act on any findings before the cooling-off deadline.
Our technician accessed the subfloor through the inspection hatch in the laundry. Visibility across the subfloor was limited by low clearance toward the front of the property, which was noted in the report. In the areas that could be reached, the technician identified active subterranean termite mud tubes running up the inside face of the perimeter brickwork on the southern side of the subfloor.
The mud tubes were intact and showed the surface moisture characteristic of active construction. The timber bearer in that section of the subfloor showed hollowing along the lower face consistent with active termite feeding. The technician used the Termatrac T3i along the internal wall above that section of the subfloor and detected movement signals through the base of the wall cavity in the front bedroom, indicating the workings extended up from the subfloor into the wall frame.
Moisture metre readings taken along the southern internal wall confirmed elevated readings at three points consistent with termite workings and moisture from the subfloor conditions. An external inspection of the southern garden bed found landscaping timbers running directly against the perimeter brickwork and sitting in contact with the soil, creating a concealed pathway from the garden to the subfloor void.
The roof void was clear. The rest of the subfloor was clear apart from higher-than-expected moisture levels along the western wall, noted as a risk condition for future activity. The report identified the species as Coptotermes based on the mud tube construction and the nature of the workings. Coptotermes is the species responsible for the majority of structural termite damage to residential properties in Victoria.
What the technician noted on this job: The landscaping timbers along the southern garden bed were the likely entry pathway. They had been sitting against the brickwork for long enough for the termites to establish a consistent route from the colony in the soil directly into the subfloor. The moisture in the subfloor from inadequate drainage on the southern side had been sustaining the activity. Neither condition was visible or obvious from inside the house during a walk-through.
The written report was completed that evening and sent to the buyers by 9pm, within the cooling-off period deadline. The report documented the active termite workings, the species identification, the Termatrac T3i movement signals in the bedroom wall, the moisture readings along the southern wall, the inaccessible section of the subfloor, the landscaping timber entry pathway, and the drainage conditions contributing to subfloor moisture. The report was written to AS 4349.3.
The report included a written recommendation for a full perimeter chemical barrier treatment and removal of the landscaping timbers from contact with the brickwork. It also included a cost estimate range for the treatment and a note that the structural condition of the bearer and the bedroom wall framing should be assessed by a builder before treatment began, as the extent of internal damage could not be confirmed through a non-invasive inspection alone.
The buyers forwarded the report to their property solicitor that evening. Their solicitor used the report findings and the cost estimate to prepare a formal written request to the vendor, requesting either a price reduction to cover the treatment and structural assessment costs, or that the vendor arrange and pay for treatment and structural repair before settlement.
The vendor agreed to a reduction in the purchase price within 48 hours. The agreed reduction covered the cost of the chemical barrier treatment, removal of the landscaping timbers, subfloor drainage improvement, and a structural assessment of the affected bearer and wall framing. The buyers proceeded with the purchase.
After settlement, the buyers arranged treatment and structural assessment using the report and cost estimate as the basis for the work scope. The AS 4349.3 report was retained on file and accepted by their lender and conveyancer without question.
The Result: Active Coptotermes termite workings confirmed before settlement. Termatrac T3i movement detected in bedroom wall cavity. Landscaping timber entry pathway identified. AS 4349.3 report delivered within cooling-off period. Buyers negotiated a price reduction covering treatment and repair costs. Purchase proceeded.
Buying a property in Melbourne? Book your pre-purchase pest inspection before the cooling-off period ends. Call (03) 9034 5957 or use our online form for a quote and a time that fits your settlement timeline.
The property showed no visible signs inside. The buyers walked through twice and saw nothing. The agent had nothing to disclose. The termite workings were entirely in the subfloor and wall cavity, where they are not visible from the living areas and would not have been found without a licensed inspection using appropriate detection equipment.
The landscaping timbers were the key. They are a very common contributing condition across Melbourne’s established suburbs. Garden beds built up against brick perimeters, timber retaining walls in contact with soil, old railway sleepers used as borders: all of these create concealed pathways from soil-based termite colonies into the subfloor. A buyer walking through a well-presented property has no reason to connect the garden border to what might be happening under the floor.
The cooling-off period timing was critical. The inspection was booked with four days remaining. The report came back the same evening. That gave the buyers’ solicitor enough time to send the formal request to the vendor before the cooling-off deadline. If the inspection had been delayed by two days, the buyers would have been outside the period where they could use the findings to negotiate without risking the deposit.
The Termatrac T3i finding changed the negotiation. Mud tubes in the subfloor indicate active termites. Termatrac T3i movement signals in the bedroom wall cavity indicate those termites have moved into the structure. That second finding elevated the report from a subfloor concern to a structural concern and materially strengthened the buyers’ negotiating position.
Book before your cooling-off period ends: Call (03) 9034 5957. We can usually get to most Melbourne properties the same day or next day. Written AS 4349.3 reports are delivered within 24 hours.
It checks the property for active pest activity, timber damage and conditions that may cause problems later. A licensed timber pest inspector does the inspection and provides a written report.
The technician checks the property using a moisture metre, thermal imaging camera and the Termatrac T3i where access allows. The inspection looks for termites, timber damage, fungal decay, wood borers and conditions that may lead to problems later. You get a written AS 4349.3 report with the findings and next steps.
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The best time to book a pre-purchase pest inspection is while the cooling-off period is still running. That is when you can still negotiate, request repairs or pull out if the findings change things. We can usually get to most Melbourne properties the same day or next day. Written AS 4349.3 reports come back within 24 hours.
Share the property address and your settlement date. We will confirm the inspection time and send a written quote before work begins.
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