The provisions were reviewed in consultation with industry, community, local government and State government representatives. If installed under a concrete slab, retreatment or replenishment may be difficult. Chemical barriers applied to the perimeter of the house are being inadvertently damaged or bridged. This may occur when the occupiers of a house carry out landscaping or when contractors are engaged to perform work for the owner. The current provisions of the BCA only require the structural elements of the building to be protected against termite damage.
Consumers also expect the protection of non-structural elements such as skirtings and architraves.
This appears not to be occurring, perhaps as a result of homeowner ignorance that a barrier has been installed. There is a need for homeowners to be made more aware of the type of termite management system installed in their home and how it should be maintained. Many of the currently available hand sprayed chemical barriers used under a concrete slab have a life span less than the reasonable life span of the building. This could result in the need for the chemical barrier to be replaced or replenished some time in the future. Unless adequate provision is made during the construction of the building for this to occur, the homeowner may be put in the unreasonable position of having to drill through the concrete slab to enable retreatment to be carried out.