Termite Protection in Queensland: What Is Required and What Actually Works

Termite management is a requirement for new residential construction in Queensland, and for good reason — subterranean termites are active across the entire region and cause more damage to Australian homes annually than fire.

The National Construction Code and AS 3660 set out what is required. Your builder installs a system, and you receive documentation identifying what was installed, where, and what maintenance it needs.

The critical point most owners miss: the system does not stop termites. It makes their entry detectable. The protection comes from the system plus regular inspection, and the inspection half is your responsibility after handover.

Physical systems work by blocking concealed entry paths — the gaps between slab and wall, around service penetrations, and through construction joints — with material termites cannot pass through or chew.

Stainless steel mesh and graded stone particle barriers are the common types. Installed correctly at slab stage, they force termites to build visible mud tunnels around the barrier rather than entering unseen.

The advantage is longevity: a correctly installed physical barrier does not require chemical replenishment. The disadvantage is that installation quality is everything, and it happens at a stage you will never see again.

Chemical barriers apply a termiticide to the soil around and beneath the building, creating a treated zone termites will not cross.

Some are applied to soil before the slab. Reticulation systems install pipework around the perimeter so the chemical can be replenished without excavation, which is a significant practical advantage.

The limitation is that chemicals deplete over time. A chemical system has a service life stated by the manufacturer, and it requires re-treatment at intervals. A house with a chemical barrier installed at construction and never re-treated has, after enough years, no chemical barrier.

Annual inspection by a licensed pest inspector is the single most important factor, more than which system you chose. AS 3660 recommends inspection at least annually, and more frequently in high-risk areas.

Termites found early are a manageable treatment. Termites found after three years are a structural repair. The system's job is to make sure you find them early, and it only works if someone looks.

The second factor is what you do to your own house. Garden beds and mulch piled against the wall, a slab edge covered by paving or soil, poor subfloor ventilation, leaking taps and air conditioning condensate discharging next to the footing all create the moisture and concealed access termites need.

Bridging the barrier is the most common owner-caused failure. Building a garden bed, path or deck over the slab edge gives termites a concealed route straight past whatever you paid for.

At handover you should receive a durable notice identifying the system installed, its location, the date and the maintenance required — typically fixed inside the meter box or a cupboard.

Keep the certificates. They matter for insurance, for any warranty claim, and for the buyer's building and pest inspection when you sell.

Note that standard home insurance generally excludes termite damage. Your protection is the system, the inspections and the documentation, not a claim after the fact.

We install and document termite management as part of every new build. Our Brisbane new home page covers what else arrives in the handover pack.