[Patf]

I am new in The Villages and have heard a lot about termite protection programs. Some say you must use the commercial programs, others say there are no termites and you don't need to do anything. Also had someone tell me I can just buy some material at the hardware and put down a barrier around my house every 6 months myself. What do you experienced Villagers think?

[Fourpar]

Originally Posted by Patf

I am new in The Villages and have heard a lot about termite protection programs. Some say you must use the commercial programs, others say there are no termites and you don't need to do anything. Also had someone tell me I can just buy some material at the hardware and put down a barrier around my house every 6 months myself. What do you experienced Villagers think?

Here's my take after 18+ years living in Florida: Sand + Moisture + Warm = Termite Smorgasbord. Any property I have owned has always been treated and Bonded by reputable company. I have seen termite damage up close and personal in one rental home I bought and for my money the cost of a commercial contract is small potatoes compared top the risk.
Not a termite expert, but that's my take FWIW:

[bonrich]

I waffled about getting the termite protection package from Massey, but in the end got it. It's one of those "one more expense" to tack on to your new home. But, in the end, it does take away the wondering if you should have signed up for it. It's like life insurance, you know........

[billethkid]

do not waffle on this one.....get the termite protection...it does not cost that much to maintain and will be a pitance compared to what you will pay if/when you find them in your house.

By the time you see them it will be way too late and a very big repair bill.

We had a new home in SC and in year 3 it was discovered we had them in the joists of the flooring. Found by the people we paid for an annual protection plan with an annual inspection.
And they were found by the inspector on an annual inspection.

Had to have 6 floor joists repaired....no cost to me except the annual fee.

Get the coverage.

btk

[Golfingnut]

If you own your home outright, NO NO NO you do not have to have the protection, but since Central Florida has weather and atmosphere that is the very definition of termite heaven, I would suggest you have it for an inexpensive safety blanket that could turn out to cost you hundreds of thousands of dollars if you don't do it right.

[jimbo2012]

On a new build U don't need it for the first 5 years.

[mulligan]

But you still need to pay for the annual inspection

[jimbo2012]

You have no need for inspections or need to pay, I called them.

That's what I was told.

[billethkid]

after the prebuild application the original applicator will give the resident the option to retain coverage of protection continuity.....this is accomplished by paying the annual fee to "renew" prevention continuity.

If you opt to not do so you are on your own in the event termites are discovered.....5 years later. You will have to have an inspection by any new provider....and if termites are discovered you will still be on your own to make that repair to be able to pass inspection of any new provider.

The choice is yours be safe or gamble.....it is not unheard of to have termites in less than 5 years even in a treated property.

Good luck.

PS when we had termites discovered in our 2 year old home in SC we were lucky because the homes there were built up off the ground with a crawl space, so repairs were easy to do. Here it is knock out a wall or get the jack hammers to work!!!!!!!!

[batman911]

One thing to consider is that there is very little structural wood in TV homes until you get to the rafters. Most of the wood I see in the walls in new construction is in the door frames. Ground termites will tunnel up to the rafters if you do not treat the soil but you will probably no need to do any wall repairs, just the rafters. In any case, better to be safe than sorry.

[jimbo2012]

Originally Posted by billethkid

If you opt to not do so you are on your own in the event termites are discovered.....5 years later. You will have to have an inspection by any new provider....and if termites are discovered you will still be on your own to make that repair to be able to pass inspection of any new provider.

Bill I think you should call Massey, I think you are incorrect.

You are fully covered for the first 5 years.

Thereafter you need treatment, which you can contract out or do yourself, everything can be purchased online.

The contract is basically an insurance policy.

[Skybo]

Originally Posted by jimbo2012

Bill I think you should call Massey, I think you are incorrect.

You are fully covered for the first 5 years.

Thereafter you need treatment, which you can contract out or do yourself, everything can be purchased online.

The contract is basically an insurance policy.

The new-build contract that I have with Massey states that for 5 years they will inspect, and if necessary treat and/or repair damage at no additional cost. However....there IS an annual contract renewal fee starting on the 2nd year and continuing through the 5th year. If you don't pay the renewal fee, all of your inspections and protections stop after the first year, or whatever year you stop paying the annual fee.

Trust me Jimbo, unless you got some special contract...you will be getting a renewal bill from Massey a year after your closing. Everyone I know has had to pay a renewal fee, and most of us, including myself, didn't really understand that until that first year rolled around.

[CFrance]

Originally Posted by Skybo

The new-build contract that I have with Massey states that for 5 years they will inspect, and if necessary treat and/or repair damage at no additional cost. However....there IS an annual contract renewal fee starting on the 2nd year and continuing through the 5th year. If you don't pay the renewal fee, all of your inspections and protections stop after the first year, or whatever year you stop paying the annual fee.

Trust me Jimbo, unless you got some special contract...you will be getting a renewal bill from Massey a year after your closing. Everyone I know has had to pay a renewal fee, and most of us, including myself, didn't really understand that until that first year rolled around.

We got such a bill from Massey at the end of our first year. No one involved in the purchase process had ever told us verbally that there was termite protection that would need to be extended, so this bill was a surprise to us, we had no idea where it was coming from, and we ignored it, wondering if it was legit or not. Apparently it was legit. Would be nice if someone would TELL you about it i the purchase process, as opposed to handing you 3517 documents to sign and it's in there somewhere.

Now I will look for some termite protection Hopefully Stellar will have something.

[jimbo2012]

Originally Posted by Skybo

The new-build contract that I have with Massey states that for 5 years they will inspect, and if necessary treat and/or repair damage at no additional cost. However....there IS an annual contract renewal fee starting on the 2nd year and continuing through the 5th year. If you don't pay the renewal fee, all of your inspections and protections stop after the first year, or whatever year you stop paying the annual fee.

What kinda double talk are they handing out here.

"states that for 5 years they will inspect, and if necessary treat and/or repair damage at no additional cost."

But then there's a cost, what am I missing there?

Trust me Jimbo, unless you got some special contract...you will be getting a renewal bill from Massey a year after your closing. .

Now I need to dig it out again & read it.

I called Massey, that's not what they said on the phone.

[Skybo]

Jimbo, I was paraphrasing in my last response because even though I had recently read the document, I didn’t have it in front of me at the time I was typing the response. I pulled out the document this morning, so let me clear a couple of things up...

First, I incorrectly called it a “contract”. It is actually a “guarantee” that came in my closing documents. Secondly, the explanation of the renewal fee and the “no additional cost” verbiage is much more clear than the way I wrote it in my original post. So...with regard to the specific issues we are discussing, here is the exact verbiage:

2. RENEWABLE PROTECTION
a. Massey guarantees the Initial Treatment for a period of one year from the Closing date referenced above. Massey agrees to offer the Customer an option to renew this Guarantee each year for an additional four (4) years. The annual renewal fee will be $120.00 for the second year through fifth year.

3. REINSPECTIONS
a. During the effective period of the Guarantee, Massey will reinspect the Treated Structures annually upon Customer’s request or at such intervals as Massey may deem necessary.

4. RETREATMENT AND REPAIR OF FUTURE DAMAGE
a. RETREATMENT. Massey guarantees to perform any retreatment deemed necessary at no additional cost to the Customer as long as the Guarantee is in force.
b. REPAIR OF FUTURE DAMAGE. ... (Too long to type out)

So you can see that their verbiage is much more clear than the way I phrased it. I will say though, like many people, I only remember "hearing" that there was a 5 year guarantee and was taken by surprise when the first bill came.