Termite Inspections Adelaide

A termite inspection in Adelaide is a structural-risk check on the largest asset most people own. We inspect homes to AS 3660.2-2017 (Termite management — in and around existing buildings) and report findings to AS 4349.3-2010 (Inspection of buildings — Timber pest inspections). Most Adelaide properties should be inspected at least every 12 months; high-risk homes more often.

This page is the long version. If you already know what you need, request a quote or call us.

What a termite inspection actually covers

A standard residential inspection takes 60–90 minutes and works the entire structure, not just the visible timbers. The scope, set by AS 4349.3-2010, includes:

• Subfloor — bearers, joists, piers, ant caps, ventilation. The single highest-yield zone in pre-1970s Adelaide stock.
• Internal timbers — skirtings, architraves, door jambs, window reveals, cornices, exposed structural posts.
• Roof void — rafters, ridge beams, hanging beams, valleys, sarking. Tapped, probed, and scanned where access permits.
• External timbers and surrounds — fascias, eaves, deck framing, retaining sleepers, fence posts that touch the house, garden beds against the slab edge.
• Outbuildings within 30m — sheds, carports, workshops, granny flats. Termite colonies don’t respect a property’s main-house boundary.
• Conducive conditions — leaks, drainage failures, slab-edge soil contact, untreated softwood landscaping, weep-hole obstruction, tree-stumps within 50m.

Where a wall cavity or sub-floor zone can’t be accessed safely, we say so on the report. AS 4349.3 requires us to flag inaccessible areas — operators who write a clean report on a half-inspected property aren’t doing the job.

When you need an inspection

• Annual maintenance — every Adelaide home, every 12 months. The single biggest determinant of whether a termite incursion costs $800 or $80,000 is how early it’s found.
• Buying a house — that’s a pre-purchase termite inspection, reported to AS 4349.3-2010 with the additional pre-purchase scope.
• You’ve seen something — mud tubes on a brick pier, frass in a window reveal, a hollow-sounding architrave, a swarm of winged termites (alates) in October–December.
• You’re about to renovate — every wall opening is the chance to inspect cavities you’ll otherwise lose access to for the next 30 years.
• A neighbour just had a treatment — Coptotermes acinaciformis, the dominant termite species in South Australia, forages in subterranean passages up to 50m from the colony. Your neighbour’s problem is statistically your problem.
• Your last inspection was more than 12 months ago — even with a clean prior report.

Signs of termites in Adelaide homes

If any of these are visible, book an inspection now — don’t disturb the evidence first.

• Mud tubes on brick piers, slab edges, in subfloors, or running up internal wall cavities
• Hollow-sounding timber when tapped — skirtings, architraves, door frames
• Doors and windows that suddenly stick — termite-affected timbers swell as galleries fill with mud
• Tiny pin-holes in plasterboard with brown staining (often dismissed as old patches)
• Discarded wings on window sills in late spring — the alate swarm aftermath
• Frass (termite droppings — coffee-grain texture) on subfloor surfaces or in roof voids

Our inspection process

The four-step strip the termite team works to on every job:

1. Inspect — visual and physical inspection of all accessible areas, supplemented by thermal imaging (Termatrac/FLIR class), moisture meters, and acoustic sounding. The thermal camera doesn’t see termites — it sees the heat signatures of active galleries inside walls. Used correctly, it converts a visual inspection into a structural one.
2. Report — written report delivered within 24–48 hours. Conforms to AS 4349.3-2010, includes severity grading, photographs of every finding, and a plain-English summary. Inaccessible areas listed explicitly.
3. Treat / Protect — if active termites or damage are found, we walk you through treatment options: chemical soil barrier, baiting program, reticulation retrofit, or remedial spot treatment. See termite treatments.
4. Warranty / re-inspection — every clean inspection includes a recommended re-inspection date (12 months default; sooner for high-risk profiles). Treated homes go onto a 12-month service warranty and annual program.

Termite inspection cost in Adelaide

A standard residential termite inspection in Adelaide runs $180–$350 for a single-storey home on a typical block. The factors that move the price:

• Property size and storeys — a four-bedroom two-storey takes longer than a 1960s three-bedroom on a 700m² block.
• Subfloor access and roof-void access — restricted-crawl subfloors and low-clearance roof voids extend inspection time.
• Outbuildings — additional sheds, granny flats, separate workshops add scope.
• Pre-purchase scope — pre-purchase reports include additional building-pest commentary and contractual deliverables; expect the upper end of the range.
• Thermal imaging — included as standard on our inspections, not a paid extra.

We quote in writing before booking. No surprise add-ons.

Australian Standards we report against

Two standards govern this work and the difference matters:

• AS 3660.2-2017 — Termite management — Part 2: In and around existing buildings. Sets the methodology for inspecting and treating existing structures. Every Adelaide home built before 2014 is governed by Part 2.
• AS 4349.3-2010 — Inspection of buildings — Part 3: Timber pest inspections. Sets the form, scope, and content of the report itself.

If you’re building or extending, AS 3660.1-2014 (new building work) is the standard your barrier system must comply with. See termite barriers.

Where we inspect

We work the eastern, western, northern, and southern Adelaide suburbs and the Adelaide Hills, from Gawler in the north to Sellicks Beach in the south, east to Mount Barker. Our inspection density is highest in pre-1960 stock — Norwood, Unley, Prospect, Walkerville, Semaphore, Port Adelaide, Gawler — where homes pre-date AS 3660 entirely and no compliant barrier was ever installed at construction. Full coverage on the locations hub.

Specialised inspection services

• Thermal imaging termite detection — non-invasive scanning of wall cavities, subfloors, and roof voids
• Annual termite inspection programs — recurring 12-month inspections with continuous warranty cover
• Pre-purchase termite inspections — settlement-deadline-aware reporting to AS 4349.3-2010

FAQs about termite inspections in Adelaide

Q: How much does a termite inspection cost in Adelaide? A: A standard residential termite inspection in Adelaide runs $180–$350. The variables are property size, storeys, subfloor and roof-void access, and whether outbuildings are included. We quote in writing before we book.

Q: How often should I get a termite inspection? A: Every Adelaide home should be inspected at least every 12 months. AS 3660.2-2017 sets 12 months as the recommended baseline; high-risk properties — pre-1960 stock, properties on reactive clay soils with established gardens, homes near bushland — benefit from 6-monthly inspections.

Q: What’s included in a termite inspection? A: A full visual and physical inspection of subfloor, internal rooms, roof void, external surrounds, and outbuildings within 30m, supplemented by thermal imaging and moisture metering on suspect areas. A written AS 4349.3-2010 compliant report is delivered within 24–48 hours with severity grading and photographs.

Q: Do you use thermal imaging on every inspection? A: Yes. Thermal imaging is included as standard on every Pest Fox termite inspection — not a paid extra. It identifies heat signatures from active galleries inside wall cavities that a visual inspection alone would miss.

Q: My house is from the 1920s — does AS 3660 apply? A: AS 3660.1 (new construction) doesn’t — your home pre-dates the standard entirely, so no compliant barrier was ever installed at construction. AS 3660.2-2017 governs the inspection and treatment regime that applies to your home today, and AS 4349.3-2010 governs the inspection report. Both apply.

Q: What happens if you find active termites? A: We talk you through the treatment options on the day, then send a written report and quote. Options usually include a chemical soil barrier (Termidor or equivalent), an in-ground baiting program (Sentricon, Exterra), or a combination. See termite treatments.

Q: Can I just do this myself? A: You can do a visual check and you should — every quarter, walk the perimeter, lift any timber landscaping touching the slab, look at your subfloor vents. But a competent inspection requires the kit (thermal, moisture meter, borescope), the access protocols (subfloor and roof-void entry), and the working knowledge of what mud-tube morphology tells you about colony origin. That’s why this is a licensed trade in SA.