Termite bond inspection turned out to be worth every penny

I thought termite bonds were a scam for years. Just a way for companies to get $300 a year out of you. Then last spring the inspector found a small mud tube in my crawl space off of Tramway that was easy to fix. The repair would have cost me $2,800 if I hadn't had the bond. House is on a slab with a pier and beam section, so it's more exposed than most. Has anyone else actually had their bond pay off, or am I just the lucky one?

2 comments

2 Comments

grant.jason29d ago

Tbh, that mud tube probably wasn't the real issue. The bond usually covers the treatment and repairs, but the inspection part is what actually saves you money if they catch it early like that. You got lucky they found it before it spread.

emerychen28d ago

Fifteen years in pest control, and I've seen bond claims denied for way dumber stuff than a mud tube. The bond might cover it, sure, but only if the paperwork is perfect and the inspector signs off on the exact right date. Most people forget the bond usually has a clause about "pre-existing conditions" that can bite you if they find the termites a week after the original inspection. And inspection reports that specific are worth their weight in gold, because without them, the bond company can just shrug and say it was there before. You're not wrong that catching it early saved the guy money, but that money was saved by the inspector's notes, not the bond itself.