Wood borer inspection: what am I paying for?

The expertise you are paying for

When you book a wood borer inspection you are securing the expertise of a trained professional. This is not a typical pest control visit. Wood borer inspectors complete specialised training beyond the standard pest control certifications in order to issue official wood borer inspection certificates. You are covering the inspection, and also the knowledge, the training and the additional registration that come with the work.

Time and travel

An often-overlooked part of it is the inspector’s time and transport. Sometimes that is thirty minutes or more of travel each way. The inspection itself varies in length depending on the size of the property. Every part of it counts.

The inspection, step by step

When the inspector arrives, they get straight to work. They usually start outside, inspecting trees, wendy houses and any other wooden structures within a fifty-metre radius of the house, looking for signs of activity. If anything is found in that area, it needs treating before a certificate can be issued.

Once the outside is done they move indoors, generally beginning with the roof. They check for sagging and for problems with the tiles, and inside the roof they examine all the timbers carefully, including wooden ceilings where those exist. From there they inspect the rest of the wood in the house: door frames, doors, skirtings, floors, and the subfloor where it can be reached.

The certificate

After the inspection the office issues the certificate. It is either emailed to the client or sent directly to the attorneys handling the transfer.

In short

An inspection covers the inspector’s expertise and certification, the detailed inspection itself, and the certification that follows. Now you know what goes into it.