Pre-purchase termite inspection across Greater Darwin.

The 6-zone audit (60-90 minutes urban / 2-3h rural).

1. Sub-floor crawl space or stump base. Every joist, bearer, stump, ant-cap and perimeter footing. Mud-tunnel scan. Moisture-meter readings throughout. Critical on high-set Nightcliff and Casuarina stock.
2. Roof void. Every accessible section. Truss, top plate, rafter, fascia, eave inspection. Wet-season roof voids in Darwin hit 50°C in the afternoon — we inspect early morning.
3. Perimeter / external. Slab edge, weep holes, brick courses, weatherboard joints. Soil-to-timber contact zones. Garden bed edges. Chemical-barrier sample points.
4. Garden + outbuildings. Sheds, fences, retaining walls, landscape timbers, mulched beds, tree stumps, woodpiles, water-tank stands, chook pens. Mastotermes colonies within 200m of the house.
5. Interior wet areas. Bathrooms, kitchen, laundry, ensuite. Around bath, around shower base, under sinks, around toilet base, washing machine recess. High-moisture timber is termite-friendly.
6. Suspect timber probing. Where evidence is found, we probe suspect timbers with a moisture meter and (with owner consent) drill 2mm test holes into suspect framing.

Equipment we use on every inspection.

• Calibrated moisture meter — readings 0-100%. Anything above 15% in framing is termite-friendly; above 20% needs intervention. We test 6–10 points per house in Darwin (vs 3–5 in southern Australia) because of monsoonal moisture variability.
• Thermal imaging camera — finds active colonies through stud walls and ceilings. Termites raise the local temperature 2-3°C from their metabolic heat. Particularly useful in Darwin where ambient temperature gives stronger contrast.
• Borescope — for inspection of inaccessible cavities (wall voids, blocked sub-floors, cavities behind built-in cabinetry, ant-cap interior).
• Termite acoustic detector — picks up the head-banging signals Coptotermes uses to communicate (only present in active colonies). Mastotermes is quieter but still detectable.
• Foundation probe — tests suspect timber resistance without visible damage.

What the written report contains.

• Photos of every suspect area (typically 20-50 photos for a full report)
• Moisture-meter readings logged by location
• Active vs past evidence clearly identified
• Species identification where evidence found (Coptotermes vs Mastotermes vs Schedorhinotermes)
• Chemical-barrier status (current, expired, or none)
• Form 16 paperwork review for properties with documented barriers
• Treatment recommendations with cost estimates
• Settlement / conveyancer-friendly summary on page 1
• Insurance-grade documentation for risk records

What we don’t find vs what we do find.

About 78–82% of urban Darwin pre-purchase inspections come back clean — no current activity, no significant past damage, chemical barrier status documented or not, recommendations for the new owner’s annual schedule. Rural Litchfield clean rate is lower (about 60–65%) because of the Mastotermes pressure on bushland-boundary blocks.

The remainder turn up something. Most common:

• Old (5-15 year) damage that’s been remediated or that the existing structure has absorbed safely
• Mud-tunnel evidence in sub-floor or on stump bases suggesting historic activity
• Mastotermes mound or workings in garden timbers / retaining walls / fence posts on the block (treatable before it reaches the house)
• Active sub-floor or wall-cavity colony in the house itself (urgent — affects price negotiation)
• Expired or absent chemical barrier with high-risk site indicators (bushland boundary, sub-floor moisture)
• Reticulation tube identifiable under meter box but no Form 16 paperwork on file

Settlement-deadline pricing.

We’ll fit a Greater Darwin pre-purchase inspection in within 24–48h of booking for settlement deadlines — including same-day for urban Darwin / Palmerston if booked before 10am. Rural Litchfield acreage we typically need 24h notice because of travel time and the longer on-site inspection window. No surcharge for the speed; the inspection cost is fixed.