What Is a Durable Notice? Termite Management

What Is a Durable Notice, and Why Does It Matter?

A durable notice is a permanent, fixed notice recording a property's termite management system: what was installed, by whom, when it was installed, and when it next requires attention. It is normally located in the meter box, the electrical switchboard enclosure or a similar protected position. Where no durable notice is visible, the existence and condition of any termite management system cannot be confirmed — which is one of the most common findings in our inspections.

Where to look for it

Check the meter box first. It is the most common location, and takes about ten seconds. Other places worth checking are the switchboard enclosure, the inside of a cupboard door near the entry, or a subfloor access point. It is usually a small plastic or metal plate rather than a paper sticker, because it is meant to survive decades.

If you are buying, this is a check worth doing yourself at the second inspection. It costs nothing and it tells you something concrete about how the property has been looked after.

What it should tell you

The type of termite management system installed — chemical, physical, or a combination.
Who installed it, and their licence details.
The date of installation.
The date the system next requires inspection or reapplication.

Read the dates carefully. A durable notice showing a system installed many years ago, with a reapplication date long past, tells you the property has a system that may no longer be doing anything. That is different from no system at all, but it is not protection either.

Why a missing durable notice matters

It is one of the most frequent findings in our reports, across both houses and units. The practical consequence is that the inspection cannot confirm whether any termite management system exists, what type it is, or whether it remains effective. The property may well have one — the notice may simply have been removed, painted over during a repaint, or never fixed in the first place. But an inspection reports what can be observed, and an unconfirmed system has to be reported as unconfirmed.

For a buyer, that is useful information rather than a crisis. It means one of your first jobs as an owner is establishing what protection the property actually has, rather than assuming it has some.

What to do about it

If you are buying, ask the vendor through the agent whether records of any termite management system exist. Installation paperwork often survives even when the notice does not.
If you own the property, engage a licensed pest management technician to assess what is in place and to install a durable notice once the position is established.
Either way, keep routine timber pest inspections running. A management system reduces risk; it does not remove the need to look.

For how often to inspect, see how often you should get a timber pest inspection.