Termite inspection costs on the Gold Coast.
Five inspection types, five honest prices, what each includes, and the four things to insist on in any pre-purchase report.
Five inspection types.
1. AS 4349.3 pre-purchase termite inspection — $280–$420.
Comprehensive visual inspection of the property before purchase. Roof void, sub-floor, grounds, internal and external walls, outbuildings. Written report within 24 hours with photographs. Required by most buyer’s solicitors as a contract subject-to condition.
2. AS 3660.2 annual inspection — $280–$340/yr.
Mandatory if your property has a chemical or physical termite barrier (most QLD homes built post-1995). Re-inspection of all accessible areas. Includes barrier status confirmation. Required by most home insurance policies to maintain cover.
3. Combined building + termite + asbestos — $480–$680.
Pre-purchase package — same visit, three reports. Industry partner conducts building inspection, we conduct termite + visual asbestos. Most efficient way to do pre-purchase due diligence.
4. Active termite activity inspection — $380–$520.
If you’ve found termites or have suspicion. Includes detailed locate-and-trace, photographs, recommendation report with treatment options and quotes. Critical first step before treatment.
5. Post-treatment verification — $240–$320.
6–12 weeks after liquid treatment, we verify the treated zone is effective by inspecting bait monitor stations. Critical for warranty activation.
The four things to insist on in a pre-purchase report.
- Photographs of EVERY area inspected. Standard report should have 20–40 photos (roof void, sub-floor, external walls, every elevation, any defects).
- List of any “limitations to inspection”. Areas the inspector couldn’t access (eg furniture-blocked walls, locked sub-floor, vegetation against external walls). These are NOT “all clear” — they’re unverified.
- Conducive conditions report. Active termites is one issue. Conditions that ATTRACT termites are another. Wet sub-floor, timber-soil contact, gardens against external walls, air-con condensate to ground — all conducive. Report should list each.
- Specific risk grading. Each finding rated as low/medium/high risk with a recommended action. Generic “no active termites found” tells you nothing — the report should grade your property’s overall risk for ongoing inspection frequency.
Watch for: $99 inspections.
Door-knock and online operators offering $99 inspections work on a loss-leader model: cheap inspection finds “termite signs” (usually conducive conditions, not actual termites), then sells you a $5K treatment. We’ve seen this on the Gold Coast in 2025 for sure.
A real, thorough AS 4349.3 inspection cannot be done for $99 by someone whose hourly cost (van + licence + insurance + time) is $80–$120/hr. The maths doesn’t work without compromise.
Where we work.
Book your inspection.
2–3 hour on-site visit, 20–40 photos, report within 24 hours.