Skip to content
LokalMatch
Get quotes

Termites

Termites near you

Termites are the only household pest in Australia that the building rules deal with before the house is even finished. Subterranean species travel underground from a nest that may sit well outside the boundary, enter through a crack in a slab or a gap behind a rendered edge, and eat timber from the inside out, leaving the paint film intact. By the time a skirting sounds hollow, the colony has usually been feeding for a long time.

Tell us about your termite control project and we’ll help you find local exterminators who serve your area.

Get termite control quotesFind exterminators by city

Free for homeowners · No obligation to hire

This type of work often has to be done by a licensed or certified trade. Ask to see licences and proof of insurance before work starts.
On this page

That is why the National Construction Code does not leave the problem to the homeowner. Part 3.4 of the 2022 Housing Provisions requires the risk to primary building elements to be managed, clause 3.4.2 says the system must comply with AS 3660.1 or have passed the tests in Section 5 of AS 3660.3, and clause 3.4.3 requires a durable notice to be permanently fixed in a prominent location such as the meter box.

The notice is the part owners should care about most. It records the type of system installed, the date it went in, the life expectancy of any chemical used, and the installer's or manufacturer's recommendations for the scope and frequency of future inspections. Read it before you book anything: it tells you what is protecting the house and how often somebody is supposed to look at it.

Termite management systems used in Australian houses

  • Chemical soil treatments, applied to the ground under and around the slab so termites meet treated soil before they meet timber.
  • Physical barriers of graded stone or stainless mesh, built into penetrations and slab edges so termites cannot pass without building a visible lead.
  • Perimeter monitoring and baiting stations, which are inspected on a cycle and turn a detection into a colony treatment.
  • Naturally termite-resistant timber selected in accordance with Appendix C of AS 3660.1, which clause 3.4.1(2) treats as not subject to attack.
  • Preservative-treated timber in accordance with Appendix D of AS 3660.1, used where a durable species is not available.
  • Elements of steel, aluminium or other metals, concrete, masonry or fibre-reinforced cement, which the same clause also treats as not subject to attack.

What termite activity looks like before the damage shows

  • Mud leads running up a pier, a slab edge or a brick wall, which are covered runways rather than dirt splashes.
  • Timber that sounds papery or hollow when tapped, particularly skirtings, door jambs and the bottom of architraves.
  • Paint or plaster that ripples or blisters in a line rather than in a patch, following the grain beneath it.
  • Discarded wings on window sills and in cobwebs after warm, humid evenings, left by flying reproductives.
  • Doors and windows that suddenly bind in a frame that has been fine for years.
  • Damp, mushroom-like smells in a sub-floor or a wall cavity, since the workings are kept deliberately humid.

What Part 3.4 and AS 3660.1 actually require of a new house

The Code's requirement is about primary building elements — the parts holding the building up — rather than about the furniture or the fence. Where those elements can be attacked, a management system has to be in place, and clause 3.4.2 gives two compliant routes: a system that complies with AS 3660.1, or one that has been tested and passed the tests required by Section 5 of AS 3660.3.

Durability is written in as well. The Queensland variation to clause 3.4.1 asks for a design life of at least fifty years for a non-temporary Class 1 building, or the building's specified design life where that is shorter. Elsewhere the practical equivalent is a system that is either that durable or one that can be readily replenished or replaced, which is why chemical treatments are paired with a stated life expectancy on the notice.

None of this is retrospective. An older house built before the current provisions may have no system at all, or one whose chemical has long expired, and there is no obligation to upgrade it. What there is, in that situation, is a much stronger case for putting a system in voluntarily and for inspecting on a short cycle.

How a live termite job is run, and why nobody sprays the mud lead

  • Leave active workings alone until the technician has seen them; breaking a lead scatters the termites and costs you the best treatment point.
  • Identification comes first, because the species determines whether a colony can be baited out or has to be dealt with at the nest.
  • The technician works out how termites are getting in, which usually means a sub-floor, a roof void and every external edge of the slab.
  • Colony control goes in at the active point, using a transferable treatment the foragers carry back rather than a knockdown at the wall.
  • Only after the colony is dealt with does anyone repair timber, because replacing a jamb early destroys the evidence and the bait point.
  • The management system for the building is then installed or reinstated, and a new durable notice is fixed so the next inspection has a starting date.

The renovations that quietly breach a termite barrier

  • A new path, driveway or paved courtyard poured over the slab edge, burying the inspection zone the barrier depended on.
  • Garden beds and mulch built up above the slab edge, giving termites a covered, damp route past the treated soil.
  • A carport or alfresco slab poured hard against the house without its own barrier at the joint.
  • Air-conditioning condensate or a leaking shower base keeping one corner of the sub-floor permanently wet.
  • Timber offcuts, form-ply and firewood stacked against an external wall, which is a food source with a bridge attached.
  • A rendered or clad finish carried down over the slab edge, so the one place a mud lead would have been visible is now covered.

Keeping a termite management system worth having

Almost all of the maintenance is about keeping the building's edges visible and dry. Keep soil, mulch and paving below the slab edge so the inspection zone stays exposed, keep weep holes clear, and fix plumbing leaks quickly rather than eventually. A sub-floor with working ventilation and no standing water is a poor site for a colony, and that is worth more than any product.

The other half is the calendar. The durable notice in the meter box states the recommended scope and frequency of future inspections, and that recommendation is the one to follow, not a vague memory of the last time somebody looked. Keep the notice legible, photograph it, and add the reports to the same file so the next owner inherits a history rather than a guess.

Termites: frequently asked questions

Does every new Australian house have to have termite protection?

Part 3.4 of the NCC 2022 Housing Provisions requires the risk of primary building elements being damaged by subterranean termites to be managed, and clause 3.4.2 requires the system to comply with AS 3660.1 or to have passed the tests in Section 5 of AS 3660.3. There is an important exception: clause 3.4.1(2) treats elements made of steel, aluminium or other metals, concrete, masonry, fibre-reinforced cement, naturally termite-resistant timber to Appendix C of AS 3660.1 or preservative-treated timber to Appendix D as not subject to attack. So a house framed entirely in those materials is dealt with by the materials themselves rather than by a barrier.

What is the notice in my meter box and why does it matter?

It is the durable notice required by clause 3.4.3 of the Housing Provisions, which must be permanently fixed to the building in a prominent location such as a meter box. It records the method of termite management used, the date of installation, the life expectancy of the chemical where one applies, and the installer's or manufacturer's recommendations for the scope and frequency of future inspections. It is the single most useful document a homeowner has on this subject, because it tells you both what is protecting the house and how often it is meant to be checked.

Should I spray a mud trail I have found on the wall?

No. A mud lead is a covered runway, and the termites inside it are the ones a technician can use to carry a treatment back to the colony. Disturbing it scatters the workers, who simply rebuild somewhere less visible, and you lose the best point of attack. Leave it exactly as it is, take a photo, and get a licensed technician to look at it. The same applies to a hollow-sounding skirting: do not pull it off to see what is behind.

My house is old and has no termite system. What are my options?

The Code provisions apply to new work rather than to existing buildings, so there is no obligation to retrofit. In practice you have two useful choices, and they are often combined: install a management system around the existing building, and put the house on a short, documented inspection cycle. Which system suits depends on whether the building sits on a slab or on piers, how much of the perimeter is accessible, and whether paving and garden beds have already covered the edges. Expect the first conversation to be about access, not about products.

Will a barrier installed today last the life of the house?

Not necessarily, and the Code anticipates that. The Queensland variation to clause 3.4.1 asks for a design life of at least fifty years for a non-temporary Class 1 building, or the building's specified design life if that is shorter, and otherwise for a system that is easily and readily accessible for replenishment or replacement. Chemical treatments in particular are installed with a stated life expectancy, which is why the durable notice has a field for it. Treat the date on that notice as a due date rather than a detail.

Sources

  1. NCC 2022 Housing Provisions, Part 3.4 Termite risk management
  2. Service NSW: Apply for a pest management technician licence

Written by the LokalMatch editorial team. Last reviewed 22 September 2026. How we write and check our guides

Find exterminators by city

Australian Capital Territory

Show 1 cities

New South Wales

Show 8 cities

Northern Territory

Show 1 cities

Queensland

Show 10 cities

South Australia

Show 1 cities

Tasmania

Show 2 cities

Victoria

Show 5 cities

Western Australia

Show 2 cities

What affects the cost of termite control

Prices depend on the details of your project. We only publish price ranges when they’re backed by real LokalMatch quote data or reliable sources. Until then, here’s what usually changes the price:

  • Type of pest or animal
  • How widespread the problem is
  • Size of the home and number of units affected
  • Treatment method
  • Number of follow-up visits
  • Exclusion work, such as sealing gaps or installing barriers

How to compare exterminators before you hire

  • Choose a company that inspects first and identifies the pest before recommending treatment.
  • Ask whether they are licensed to apply pest control products in your area.
  • For wildlife like raccoons, squirrels or birds, look for a company that uses humane removal and seals entry points.
  • Ask how they'll keep children, pets and food safe during and after treatment.
  • Get the treatment plan in writing, including follow-up visits and what happens if the problem comes back.

Questions to ask exterminators before you hire

  • What pest do you think this is, and how did you identify it?
  • Are you licensed to apply pest control products in my area?
  • What products or methods will you use, and are they safe around children and pets?
  • How do I need to prepare my home before treatment?
  • How many visits are included, and what happens if the problem comes back?
  • Will you seal entry points so the problem doesn't return?

When to call a pro for termite control

  • Droppings, gnaw marks or scratching noises in walls or the attic
  • Bites or small blood spots on bedding that could point to bed bugs
  • A wasp or hornet nest near a door, deck or play area
  • An animal living in the attic, chimney or under a deck

Termite control permits and local rules

Some termite control work needs a permit or has to meet local bylaws. Rules vary by municipality, so ask your pro whether a permit is needed and who will apply for it — and check with your city or town if you’re unsure.

Permits and licensing

Seasonal maintenance

This job is part of our home maintenance checklists for:

Guides about termite control

Services related to termite control

Ready to get termite control quotes?

Tell us about your termite control project.

Start your request

Do you offer termite control services?

Join LokalMatch to get matched with homeowners in the areas you serve.

Join as a pro