Coptotermes acinaciformis is the species doing the damage in Victoria, and it works from inside the timber outward, so the first visible sign is usually a skirting that gives under a thumb. The inspection is hands-on: subfloor, roof void, stumps and bearers, fence lines, retaining walls, garden beds against the wall, timber stacked down the side.
Risk is not even across this patch. The older homes through Belmont and Highton on timber stumps carry more than the new Armstrong Creek and Charlemont slabs, and anything close to the Barwon or along the Moorabool valley near Ceres and Barrabool holds moisture in the soil year-round. An annual check is the sensible baseline for the older stock. Call +61 3 9003 9687.