In Melbourne, the chances of your house being attacked by termites is greater than the risk of flood, fire and other natural disaster combined. Despite this, termite damage is not covered by standard home insurance policies! If you want to protect your home from termite attack, it’s up to you to take the necessary measures.
So, what should you do and what insurance is available?
Termite Declared Areas
In Victoria, some council areas have been “termite declared”.
What does this mean?
It means that the risk of termite infestation in that council area is high enough for it to be “termite declared”, which then requires anyone building a new home, adding an extension or carrying out renovations, to meet the necessary termite protection requirements for the new construction.
In reality, although there is a higher risk of termite attack in some areas than others, termites are everywhere in Australia. Certainly, termites cannot read postcodes, so the idea that one council is “termite declared” and a neighbouring council isn’t, it a bit bizarre.
The bottom line is that all homeowners in Melbourne need to take actions to prevent their homes being attacked by termites.
Termite inspections are the minimum requirement
Professional termite inspections at least once a year, are the minimum action all homeowners should take. This is a recommendation from all governments, building authorities and Australian Standards (not just us!).
Not only will a termite inspection pick up signs of termite activity and termite damage but will also identify any actions homeowners need to take to reduce the risk of a termite attack in the future (such as improving drainage).
A termite inspection is an important “health check” on your home, but to actually prevent a termite attack, it is important to have termite protection measures in place, which generally means a termite treatment.
Termite treatments are key to preventing termite attack
There are two types of termite treatment – liquid termite treatment to the soil around and under the house or a termite baiting system. Both these systems are designed to prevent concealed termite attack on the building – stopping termites accessing the building through unseen cracks and crevices. However, termites could still get into the building by building a trail over a treatment and entering a weephole. This is why it is important to use fully insured termite companies who use premium products backed by the manufacturers.
Pest Control Company Insurance
As long as you use a fully licensed and insured pest control company to install the termite treatment and you carry out the recommendations specified by the pest control company (to fix any issues around the home and have annual termite inspections), the system will be very effective in preventing termite attacks.
The professional indemnity insurance of the pest control company is there to provide the homeowner with protection, should the pest control company make a mistake during application. With quality companies this is a rare occurrence, but clearly it can happen, so company insurance is essential. Always check that the pest control company you use has the appropriate licenses and insurance in place to carry out termite work.
Termite Product Manufacturer Insurance
The other type of insurance available to homeowners is offered by some of the termite product manufacturers. The quality manufacturers back their products and so will often provide a timber assurance warranty which covers any damage that occurs after a termite treatment, if the reason for the termite incursion is due to product failure. That is why it is also important to use a company that has been accredited by the manufacturer in the correct application of their product.
Here at Termites VIC, we generally recommend using Termidor. Not only is this the proven market leading product, as an accredited applicator we can also offer the Termidor $2 million Assurance Warranty on complete installations (conditions apply).
So, although insurance isn’t available on standard home insurance, homeowners can ensure they avoid an expensive termite attack but implementing their own insurance plan – annual termite inspections and a termite treatment.