There is no requirement in Law for an owner of property to have a certificate confirming that the property is free of wood borer or termites.
Unless a sale agreement specifically states otherwise, a Seller is under an obligation to disclose known defects and as it is difficult to ascertain
whether or not any timber in the property is infested with wood borer. It is common in coastal areas where wood borer is prevalent, to include an
obligation on the Seller to provide a certificate confirming that the property is free of woodborer.
If a Seller is unaware that any of the timber in the property is infested with wood borer, a Seller can disclose this in the agreement rather than
obtain a certificate.
If the agreement does not require the Seller to provide a wood borer certificate which is required by the purchaser's bank, then the purchaser would
need to obtain and pay for the certificate.
It is in the purchaser's interest to insist that the Seller provides the woodborer certificate and manages and pays for any fumigation that may be
required to eradicate existing borer.
Banks require a wood borer certificate for coastal properties when granting a bond.
