Are Annual Termite Inspections Worth It?

What do people think of annual termite inspections? Would you get one done in my case?

I have a house/gf combo in the 2770 area. The house is rendered fibro, over 20 years old and there was a leaking problem in the bathroom last year. Had a termite inspection that cost $195 and came back with a clean bill of health.

A year is up so I need to decide if I will do another termite inspection for the same price.

I do not think it is necessary but I'm not completely sure so keen to hear what other people think

 

Has there been any evidence of termites? Or do you know if the neighbours anyone close by that have had issues? If not I wouldn't do it yearly but for piece of mind it would hurt every few years I guess

 

Highly dependent on the property, I've got one in Brisbane which is a 70s lowset brick house and its had 2 termite attacks in 19 years, one in the bathroom which was discovered early enough while renovating the bathroom, a chemical barrier was installed. The second attack was many years later, the barrier had expired by only about 9 months but the tenant had some wood close to the side of the house and termites caused some damage to a wall.
For this property we always keep the chemical barrier up to date now and get yearly inspections. For other properties it depends, if its a highset with antcaps then there is little to worry about. Another house we have has Termimesh installed so we only get an inspection every few years.
In regional NSW for a couple of places I haven't bothered for 5 years.
There probably is no right answer as it depends on risk, if I had a place with termites found in a nearby fence or tree stump for example I would be getting an inspection yearly for peace of mind.

 

Thanks Bob and Hugh for your replies.

That IP has no history of termites so I'll skip the termite inspection this year and probably do one next year.

 

If you have lots of wooden furniture and floors in your home, it's recommended to check for termites from time to time, just in case. You could also try some protective sprays for wood, which need to be applied every few months, and protect the surface from pests.

 

I live in a 2 story brick veneer home, 15km south of Sydney CBD and I pay $370 to Termguard every 3 years for topping up the subfloor termite barrier chemical and $160 annually for a warranty inspection. This property is about 16 years old and in reasonably good condition. I am starting to wonder if I am throwing my money away on this. I have owned this property for 4 years, and continuing these annual inspections as the previous owner had done the same. Should I continue with these inspections? I've been told by Termguard if I do not do the annual inspections, my warranty will become void.

 

Annual inspections are a marketing tool used by them to secure an ongoing residual income.

Use a company who does it properly in the first place and they won't need to come back. The one I used cost a bit more, but have a long term guarantee.

 

Thanks for the reply. As its my PPOR, I didn't want take any risk with termite. Can you suggest a company who operate in Sydney South-West whom I could use?