Tuesday, July 11, 2006
Termite Inspection Changes
TALLAHASSEE, Fla. -- July 7, 2006 -- Under Florida's new pest control rules, home shoppers told that a property was "treated for termites" also will find out if that applies to the whole home or whether the seller simply spot-treated the trouble spots. The rules also upgrade consumer protections within pest control contracts.
Florida Agriculture and Consumer Services Commissioner Charles H. Bronson announced yesterday that the new rules are now in effect, though pest control companies have a one-year grace period to upgrade their contract language.
If a company does perform only a spot treatment on a home, it must post that information on treatment stickers in the structure. "This is especially important for homebuyers," Bronson says. "Buyers of existing homes may be told that a house has been treated before they buy it, but not informed the treatment was only to a limited part of the building. Now they will know if the treatment was full or partial."
Other consumer protections now in place include:
• All contracts issued by pest control companies for termite control must tell consumers if the contract covers subterranean termites, drywood termites or both. If the agreement doesn't cover Formosan termites, an aggressive form of subterranean termite, the company has to clearly state that fact in the contract.
"The average homeowner may not understand that there are differences in the types of termites that can invade their homes as well as differences in the kinds of protections that address each insect," says Bronson. "We have found that many people do not realize they are not protected against one or the other until their home is damaged and it is too late."
• Pest control companies must retreat infestations covered by a contract within ninety days (180 days for multiunit structures). Previously, there was no time limit.
• Companies may no longer deny re-treatment or repairs if they're aware of a construction defect or other condition conducive to termite infestation, such as a water leak, and do not give the owner a chance to repair it.
Nearly all termite contracts include language that limits the company's obligation to repair a home infested with termites if something about the home is "conducive" to termite infestation, such as a water leak. But now, a company that performs yearly inspections to keep the contract effective may no longer turn a blind eye to a structural problem that attracts termites, and then years later deny repairs based on that problem if they didn't mention it to the homeowner.
Florida Agriculture and Consumer Services Commissioner Charles H. Bronson announced yesterday that the new rules are now in effect, though pest control companies have a one-year grace period to upgrade their contract language.
If a company does perform only a spot treatment on a home, it must post that information on treatment stickers in the structure. "This is especially important for homebuyers," Bronson says. "Buyers of existing homes may be told that a house has been treated before they buy it, but not informed the treatment was only to a limited part of the building. Now they will know if the treatment was full or partial."
Other consumer protections now in place include:
• All contracts issued by pest control companies for termite control must tell consumers if the contract covers subterranean termites, drywood termites or both. If the agreement doesn't cover Formosan termites, an aggressive form of subterranean termite, the company has to clearly state that fact in the contract.
"The average homeowner may not understand that there are differences in the types of termites that can invade their homes as well as differences in the kinds of protections that address each insect," says Bronson. "We have found that many people do not realize they are not protected against one or the other until their home is damaged and it is too late."
• Pest control companies must retreat infestations covered by a contract within ninety days (180 days for multiunit structures). Previously, there was no time limit.
• Companies may no longer deny re-treatment or repairs if they're aware of a construction defect or other condition conducive to termite infestation, such as a water leak, and do not give the owner a chance to repair it.
Nearly all termite contracts include language that limits the company's obligation to repair a home infested with termites if something about the home is "conducive" to termite infestation, such as a water leak. But now, a company that performs yearly inspections to keep the contract effective may no longer turn a blind eye to a structural problem that attracts termites, and then years later deny repairs based on that problem if they didn't mention it to the homeowner.
