Pest Inspections near you

Tell the inspector why you're booking. A buyer needs a clear read on current activity and past damage, while an owner with a specific complaint needs the pest identified before anyone treats it.

A thorough inspection works from the outside in and looks as closely at conditions as at the pests themselves. Expect a flashlight, a moisture meter and sometimes monitoring traps, and make sure the attic hatch, basement and crawl space are accessible.

Termites are a real consideration in parts of Ontario. The City of Guelph says the eastern subterranean termite was accidentally introduced from the United States to more than 30 Ontario municipalities, and that it was detected in Guelph in the early 1970s. The City of Toronto says the same species was introduced to Toronto in 1938, has since become established in homes throughout the city, and is hard to detect.

Guelph describes termites as wood-destroying insects that live in very large colonies and forage through the soil. The city enforces the Ontario Building Code and its Termite Control Bylaw property by property where needed, and it recommends that prospective buyers in formerly affected areas be told about past termite activity and consider an inspection by a licensed termite inspection company. If you're buying in a municipality with a termite history, look up its program and ask the seller about any past treatment.

The report is what you keep, so it should be specific enough that another technician or contractor could act on it without repeating the visit.

Most recommendations aim to make the house less inviting, and many involve no pesticide at all. When treatment is needed, it holds up better once entry points and moisture problems are dealt with.

A general home inspector will often note droppings in the attic or soft wood in the basement, but a pest inspection goes further: it identifies the species, judges whether activity is current, traces the entry routes and outlines the treatment and sealing the house needs. For an older house, a rural property or a home in an area with termites, fitting both into your inspection condition makes sense. Our home inspectors page explains what the general inspection covers.

An inspection may involve no pesticide, but the treatment that follows often does, and provinces regulate who can apply it. Health Canada registers the products and points out that some provinces and territories require professional applicators to be trained and licensed. Ontario's Pesticides Act calls for a pesticide exterminator licence when pesticides are applied commercially on property the applicator or their employer doesn't own or farm, and structural extermination is one of the licence types.

In Quebec, the regulations under the Pesticides Act require a certificate for people who sell or use pesticides in sectors where a permit is needed, and pest management application is among the certified activities. Ask for the licence or certificate number of whoever will treat your home, and whether the person inspecting is the same person who will apply any product.