When most homeowners ask for a termite inspection they assume that all inspectors and all companies are created equal. Nothing could be further from the truth! The experience of the company and their employees can spell the difference between protecting the most expensive purchase you will ever make and finding out that your castle has tens of thousands of dollars damage.
When you consider that termites alone cause billions of dollars of damage to structures in the United States, homeowners should be wary of what appears to be a qualified inspector walking into their home.
Here are some things that you should consider before signing a contract with the local pest control company.
- Is the company licensed? This question seems to be one that you wouldn’t have to ask, but throughout the country scam artists are posing as termite inspectors and fleecing unsuspecting homeowners from thousands of dollars. The state of California has a web site to find out if the company knocking on your door is actually a legal entity. That site is www.pestboard.ca.gov or call 916-561-8704
- Are there formal complaints against the company and/or the licensed inspector? If past performance is a predictor of the future then finding out if complaints have been lodged against the firm or their employees is important. The same state website previously mentioned can tell you that as well. Further, check with the local Better Business Bureau. The BBB will keep records of all complaints lodged against their members and how well those complaints were resolved. Sometimes it’s not just a matter of avoiding mistakes but what a company is willing to do to rectify them after the fact that is important. If the company you are about to use is not a member of BBB, you should ask yourself, what are they hiding?
- Homeowners should ask how many years the firm and the specific inspector who will look at your home has been doing termite inspections. You certainly wouldn’t allow a surgeon to do a heart transplant on you if you were his first surgery, why expect an inspector with six weeks experience to do a good inspection. This is a case of practice does improve the outcome.
- Find out if the firm is a member of the state trade organization. This item alone is no guarantee of a great company, but it does require that the member firm follow a higher standard than non-member firms and enables members to acquire education through their state organization. In our state the trade organization is the Pest Control Operators of California and can be contacted at www.pcoc.org or 916-372-4363.
- An item that is generally hidden from the view of the consumer is that not all companies do their own work. You might have an inspection by XY pest control but find out later that the work is being done by a contractor that you have never met. If the subcontractor damages your property during the course of their work who does the consumer hold responsible. It’s best to ask who is actually doing the work then to later be surprised that it’s someone that you don’t know!
- Finally, ask the inspector that you have selected through this process to allow you to follow him on his inspection, at least the part of the inspection that is in the living space of the house. This is important because it enables you to learn more about the process, and put the inspector on notice that you want to see what he finds. Good inspectors will be willing and actually anxious to explain what they found after the inspection, be sure to ask all the questions that concern you about the inspection and/or the subsequent treatments that may follow. Get all promises and answers to your concerns written into any agreement that you sign
This article written by Herb Field, was published in The San Diego Daily Transcript on May 3, 2006 as part of the Forensic Consultants Association Newsletter. Herb Field is an Urban Entomologist with Entomology Services, Inc.
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