BUYING A PROPERTY
What to check for pests at a Sydney open home: a buyer's practical walkthrough
An open home is not a pest inspection, but a calm walkthrough can help you record visible clues, notice access limits and ask better questions before making a property decision.
A short Sydney open-home visit can feel rushed. Buyers may focus on room size, light and finishes while missing small clues around cupboards, skirtings, drainage and stored materials. You are not trying to diagnose a pest problem. Your goal is to create a factual record that can guide questions, access requests and the scope of a professional pre-purchase pest inspection.
1. Prepare a simple, property-specific record
Start with the address, inspection date and areas you could actually see. Ask the selling agent whether photos are allowed. If they are, take one wide image for location and one closer image of any visible clue. Note facts such as “small droppings in the rear cupboard” or “timber touching soil beside the laundry”, rather than naming a pest you cannot identify.
Record stains, damage, droppings, shed skins or live activity.
Mark rooms and external sides that were locked or obstructed.
Keep observations separate from assumptions about the cause.
Do not move occupants' belongings, pull up flooring, open restricted panels or disturb suspected termite mudding or damaged timber. Preserving the condition gives an inspector a better chance to assess it safely.
2. Walk through kitchens, bathrooms and laundries
With permission, look into ordinary accessible cupboards below sinks and around pantry shelves. Check skirting edges, pipe penetrations and the corners beside appliances that remain with the property. Repeated cockroach spotting, pepper-like marks, gnawing, damaged food packaging or a strong unexplained odour are worth recording without jumping to a conclusion.
Moisture can matter as much as a pest sighting. Note swollen cabinetry, peeling finishes, staining, mould, active drips or a soft-looking skirting. A pest inspector is not a plumber or building diagnostician, so visible moisture may also justify a separate question for the agent or an appropriately qualified building professional.
3. Check the accessible building edge
Walk the accessible perimeter and look at the relationship between soil, garden beds, stored timber and the building. Record blocked-looking vents, leaking taps, persistent ponding, damaged screens, gaps under external doors and dense storage against walls. In garages, note droppings, rub marks, nesting material or daylight around ordinary door edges.
Pay attention to decks, pergolas, fences or landscaping that meet the house, but do not probe timber or enter unsafe areas. NSW Fair Trading provides general guidance on termite risk management. Visible conditions can help frame an inspection, but they do not establish whether termites are present or absent.
4. Notice what a future inspector may not be able to see
A tidy room can still have limited inspection access. Note fitted cabinetry, stored goods against walls, low subfloor clearance, inaccessible roof space, locked sheds and furnished garage edges. For apartments, ask which storage cage, car space, balcony and relevant common areas belong to or service the lot.
Access limits should appear in a professional report. Ask in advance which areas will be included, whether utilities need to be available and who can authorise access. Never climb into a roof void, crawl under a floor or enter a restricted common area during an open home.
5. Turn observations into useful inspection questions
Share your notes with the inspector before the appointment. Ask whether the proposed scope covers the dwelling, accessible roof and subfloor areas, garage, external timbers and any areas that concerned you. Afterward, read the findings together with the access limitations, recommendations and any request for further specialist assessment.
An open-home walkthrough cannot determine that a property is pest-free or termite-free, and an online article cannot replace an appropriately scoped on-site inspection and written report. If a clue could materially affect your decision, allow time to clarify it before relying on assumptions or a verbal summary.
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