WDO inspection for a home sale in Miami, FL

In Florida the "termite inspection" on a home sale is a WDO inspection: a licensed inspector looks for wood-destroying organisms, meaning termites, powderpost and other wood-boring beetles, and wood-decay fungi, and reports what they found on the state’s form, FDACS 13645. Lenders ask for it on most purchases, VA and FHA loans require it, and buyers should want it whether or not a lender does, because in Miami-Dade the odds that an older house has had drywood termites at some point are not small.

Give the address, the closing date, and who is asking for the report; the report goes to whoever you name.

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What the inspector looks at

• Every accessible wood member: attic framing, window and door frames, baseboards, fascia and soffits, the garage, closets, under sinks, and the exterior at grade. Accessible is the operative word; the report notes what could not be reached.
• Live termites, swarmers or shed wings, frass (drywood pellets), mud tubes (subterranean), damaged wood, and the probing and tapping that finds galleries behind sound-looking paint.
• Evidence of previous treatment: drill holes in the fascia, bait stations in the yard, a fumigation sticker in the electrical panel. Florida requires the inspector to report visible evidence of prior treatment.
• Conditions conducive to infestation: wood touching soil, moisture at the slab, a leaking hose bib against the wall, mulch against the stucco. These go on the form even when nothing is active.
• Wood-decay fungi in fascia, soffits, and window frames, common on the shaded side of a house here.

How to read the report

The form has boxes for live WDO, evidence of WDO, damage, and previous treatment, each with a diagram of where. "Evidence, no live activity" on a Coral Gables or Shenandoah house is normal and usually means an old, treated drywood colony; it is not a reason to walk away, but it is a reason to ask when the house was last treated and whether a warranty transfers. "Live activity" means a treatment before or as a condition of closing, and the parties negotiate who pays. "Damage" is a question for a contractor, not the inspector; the WDO inspector reports it and does not estimate the repair.

A WDO report is a snapshot of one day and says so. Lenders typically want it dated within 30 days of closing. It is not a warranty and not a treatment.

Who orders it and who pays

The buyer usually orders it during the inspection period, with the general home inspection, and pays for it; a seller can order one before listing to take the surprise out of the deal. If the report finds live activity, the treatment is negotiated like any other repair, and the contract often says who. The inspecting company can also quote the treatment, which Florida allows; a second treatment quote from a company that did not write the report is still a good idea.

What drives the cost

A WDO inspection is typically a flat fee by the size and type of the property, with a house costing more than a condo unit and a large or raised house more than a slab ranch. Ask for the price and the turnaround when you call.