Beetle certificates for property sales

The house is sold, the conveyancer wants a beetle certificate, and transfer is waiting on it. We inspect the timber, issue the certificate or tell you exactly what needs fixing.

A beetle certificate confirms that the accessible timber in a property was inspected and showed no active infestation of the wood-destroying beetles named on the certificate. In the Western Cape almost every offer to purchase makes it a condition of the sale, and the seller usually arranges and pays for it. It isn't a national law. It's a regional habit that started because of the European house borer, and it has stuck because buyers and banks want to know the roof isn't being eaten.

We do beetle inspections for sellers, estate agents and conveyancers across the Garden Route, from Mossel Bay and Hartenbos to Knysna and Plettenberg Bay, and in Oudtshoorn.

What the inspector looks at

The inspection covers the timber we can safely reach. In practice that means:

• The roof space: trusses, purlins, battens and ceiling joists, checked from the trapdoor and by moving through the roof where it's safe to walk
• Wooden floors, floor boards and any accessible timber under a suspended floor
• Door frames, window frames, skirting boards and built-in cupboards
• Staircases, exposed beams and timber ceilings
• Outbuildings on the property, like garages, carports and wooden sheds

We're looking for exit holes, fresh bore dust (frass), larval tunnels in damaged wood and the beetles themselves. The main culprits on the certificate are the European house borer, the common furniture beetle and powderpost beetles. Our wood borer beetle profile shows what their holes and dust look like.

Loose furniture is not part of a standard beetle certificate. If you're worried about an antique cabinet, mention it and we'll look.

What happens if beetles are found

You get a short report explaining what was found, where, and what it will take to clear it. Usually that means treating the affected timber, and sometimes replacing pieces that are too badly damaged to carry load. Once the work is done, we re-inspect and issue the clearance certificate. Our wood borer treatment page explains the treatment side.

Old, inactive damage is common in older Garden Route houses. Holes that have been there for decades don't fail a certificate on their own. What matters is whether the infestation is active now.

Timing: don't leave it to the last week

Conveyancers want a recent certificate, so there's no point booking it the day the house goes on the market. Book it once you've accepted an offer. On the other hand, don't leave it until the week of lodgement either: if we find activity, the treatment and re-inspection need a few days, and that can hold up transfer.

On the day, the inspector needs:

• Access to the roof trapdoor, with a clear space underneath for a ladder
• Keys to garages, outbuildings and locked rooms
• Dogs kept out of the way
• Someone who can let us in, if you're not living there. Agents often arrange this.

What a certificate can and can't tell you

A beetle certificate is a snapshot. It says that on the day of the inspection, the timber we could reach showed no active infestation. It can't speak for timber nobody can see: floorboards under fitted carpet or laminate, beams boxed in behind ceilings or cladding, or a roof with no trapdoor and no safe way in. Those areas are noted as not inspected, so the buyer knows exactly what was and wasn't covered. It also can't promise that beetles won't arrive next year in a second-hand cupboard. If you're buying an older house with a lot of timber, it's worth reading the certificate itself rather than just hearing that it was issued, and asking us anything that isn't clear.

Beetles, termites and the difference

A beetle certificate is about beetles. It doesn't certify a property free of termites, and termites work very differently: they come up from the soil through mud tubes rather than flying in and laying eggs in timber. If our inspector sees signs of termites in the roof or along the walls, we'll tell you, and you can read about termite control separately. Sellers who want certainty on both can ask for both checked.

Selling in George, Knysna or Plett?

We have local pages for beetle certificates in George, Knysna and Plettenberg Bay, where older timber houses and long-standing holiday homes make up a big share of sales. If you're selling for the first time, our guide to getting a beetle certificate when selling a house walks through it from offer to transfer.

What it costs

A beetle inspection is quoted on the size and type of the property: a sectional-title flat with no roof space is quick, a large house with a timber floor, a big roof and outbuildings takes longer. If treatment is needed, that's quoted separately once we know the extent. Agents and conveyancers can book on behalf of the seller.

Call 044 012 5011 with the address and the transfer timeline, or book an inspection here.