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Buying a home is a pretty stressful time. Even more so if this is your first step onto the property ladder. If you fall under that category, our sister group—Brisbane Conveyancing—has a fantastic guide for first-time home buyers right here.
From contracts and clauses to rules and regulations, there’s a lot to manoeuvre but we’re here to help you tick one thing off that list: the all-important pest inspection!
We’ll take you on a quick dive into why it’s important to have a pest inspection, what the inspection means as part of the buying process, and, of course, the big question – who pays for a pest inspection when buying a house?
Do I need to do a pest inspection?
Buying a home is a huge financial undertaking and you should do everything you can to protect that investment. Inspections are a key part of that.
Inspections ensure that the house you’re buying is structurally sound and, ultimately, safe to live in. The information they provide might give the buyer enough reason to renegotiate the price or even withdraw from the sale altogether.
A building inspection seems an obvious thing to do, but don’t skip out on a pest inspection! With termites common throughout Australia, having a licensed professional check for any signs of these destructive pests is an absolute must. In most cases, a building and pest inspection can be combined and undertaken in one go.
Termites, otherwise known as white ants, are considered one of the biggest threats to Australian homes. With over 200 different species, not all of them will find the treated timbers of your potential new home to their tastes, but those that do can destroy walls and roofing timbers in as little as three months!
Even if there’s no termites left, an inspection will be able to tell you if any previous infestations have caused serious damage to the home.
What are building and pest inspection clauses?
A building and pest inspection clause should be included in any contract when buying a house and, as with all legally binding documents, should be thoroughly vetted by a solicitor.
This clause is what protects the buyer if the inspections should reveal some hidden issues that they couldn’t have possibly known about on their own. The buyer can then decide what part, if any, of the inspection might constitute a deal-breaker. Are the repairs reasonable? Does anything the inspection uncovered seriously affect the value of the house? Is this still the right home for the buyer?
With a solid building and pest inspection clause in place, you can go into buying a home with confidence, no matter the outcome of the inspection!
How much does a building and pest inspection cost?
You can expect to pay between $300 and $600 but this is, of course, dependent on the size and location of the home. Occasionally, a provider may offer discounted or flat rates for an inspection, but always take into account reviews and recommendations, as well as price, before making a decision.
So who pays for a pest inspection when buying a house?
Ultimately, the responsibility for the pest inspection falls on the buyer. Of course, this does mean that if you back out of a sale, you’ll need to pay for a new inspection the next time you put in an offer, but for security and peace of mind it’s certainly worth it!
That being said, it’s also a good idea for sellers to have their own inspections done during the selling process. It’s a useful piece of information to have, particularly if the buyer’s inspections find any major issues.
References
- 2021, “Building Inspection Costs – 2022”, Rapid Building Inspections
- Brett White, 2019, “Who Pays for a Building and Pest Inspection?”, Inspect East Building Inspections
- Rich Harvey, “Is a building and pest report really necessary?”, Propertybuyer
- “Who pays for building and pest inspection?”, ABIS
- “Understanding building and pest conditions when buying a house”, NAB
- “Are white ants and termites the same thing?”, Paragon Pest