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WDI Inspection Report (Termite Letter)

A WDI inspection report, or termite letter, is an official written record of a visual inspection covering accessible areas of a structure to check for wood-destroying insects. The report’s value relies almost entirely on choices you make before the inspector arrives: specifying exactly which structures must be checked and ensuring every area is physically accessible. Both are decided when you book, and neither can be fixed once the report is written.

What are you buying when you order a WDI inspection report?

You are paying a licensed inspector to visually examine the accessible areas of a property and put what was visible on the day onto a form somebody else has asked for.

This document is a snapshot of visible evidence, not a warranty and not a verdict on the building. Form NPMA-33 states that it is not a guarantee or warranty as to the absence of wood destroying insects, and that the inspection firm cannot guarantee that whatever the inspection did disclose represents all the infestation or damage that may exist on the day. It says separately that the inspector’s training and experience do not qualify them in damage evaluation.

If you are buying a home, you can see where this document sits in the purchase process in my guide on termite inspection for home buyers.

Who can do a WDI inspection and issue the report?

Somebody holding a state pest control licence, and in several states a licence in a named category. This is the checkable part of the whole transaction, because the number goes on the report.

The South Carolina Department of Pesticide Regulation requires the report to be issued by an individual licensed in Category 7A under a valid pest control business license, signed and dated with both applicator and business license numbers. The Georgia Structural Pest Control Commission mandates that only a company licensed in wood-destroying organisms can issue its official report.

The national NPMA-33 carries printed fields for both, one for the company’s pest control business licence number and one for the inspector’s own certification, registration or licence number, so both are on your copy. The US Environmental Protection Agency says firms offering termite services must be licensed by your state, and that you should ask to see the company’s licence and call your state pesticide regulatory agency if you have concerns.

Which form will you get for a WDI inspection for closing?

The state where the property sits, not the company you hired. Three regulators are explicit about substitutes, which is worth knowing before somebody hands you the wrong paper.

The Georgia Structural Pest Control Commission states that the NPMA form may not be used, as the Official Georgia report is the only form allowed for property transfers. Arizona requires applicators to complete its state-approved form, allowing federal forms only as an addition rather than a replacement. Florida administrative rules forbid licensees from placing disclaimers or extra language on state form FDACS-13645.

In North Carolina, state rules require any written statement about wood-destroying insects in a home for sale to be on Form WDIR 100. Mississippi requires its official state form, though a licensee may refuse to complete it after an inspection if no fee is charged. Where no state form is prescribed, the national NPMA-33 form is standard and is approved for FHA and VA loans. For details on VA loans, see my guide on VA loan termite inspections. You can review state requirements on my page covering termite letter requirements by state or read about the federal form in my breakdown of the NPMA-33 form explained.

What should you specify before booking the inspection?

Two things. Which buildings the report is to cover, and what the inspector will be able to reach when they get there.

The scope of the entire report depends on a single write-in field on page one labeled “Structure(s) Inspected.” The North Carolina Department of Agriculture & Consumer Services notes that permanently attached decks, porches, and storage sheds are routinely included, but detached structures like outbuildings or separate garages are not inspected unless explicitly requested by the client. If you want a detached garage covered, you must request it when ordering.

You must also prepare the property for physical entry. North Carolina guidelines state that operators must have access to all interior and exterior areas, and the operator is not responsible for insect evidence in inaccessible areas. Form NPMA-33 allows an inspector to label a crawl space inaccessible if clearance under floor joists is under 24 inches, or an attic inaccessible if the opening is too small or requires a ladder. The form also states no inspection is made where items must be moved, specifically naming insulation, furniture, appliances, and personal possessions.

Both of those are the first block of my printable inspection and report check, because clearing access is worth doing the night before and cannot be done once the report is written.

What does the physical WDI inspection cover?

The inspector performs a visual check of readily accessible structural areas, using probing and sounding tools on unobstructed wooden members.

Form NPMA-33 explains that inspectors probe or sound accessible wood near areas vulnerable to attack, such as structural timbers adjacent to slab edges and masonry walls. They search for visual signs of activity, including shelter tubes created by subterranean termites.

A thorough report also records the conditions that invite the insects in, and one state publishes a floor for what that means. North Carolina requires, as a minimum, wood making direct soil contact, cellulose debris under a structure, and excessively wet wood at 20 percent moisture content or greater in the crawl space or elsewhere, to be reported as conditions conducive to subterranean termites. That is North Carolina’s minimum rather than a national standard, but it is a usable yardstick for judging how thorough a report you were given. You can read more about addressing these risks in my guide on termite prevention.

What gets left out of the report and where is it recorded?

Inaccessible spaces, non-insect organisms like mold or rot, and concealed structural damage are excluded from the report and noted in specific disclaimer sections.

Form NPMA-33 defines wood-destroying insects, for its own purposes, as termites, carpenter ants, carpenter bees, and reinfesting wood-boring beetles. Those are four insects and not a category of building problems: the form explicitly excludes mold, mildew, and non-insect organisms, and Arizona’s form carries a statement the purchaser signs saying in capitals that it is not a structural damage, fungi or mold report. If what you are chasing is drywood termites the report covers it; if it is rot, it does not.

Where the inspector could not get is recorded on the report itself. NPMA-33 says no inspection was made in areas requiring the breaking apart or into, dismantling or removal of any object, naming moldings, floor coverings, wall coverings, siding, fixed ceilings, insulation, furniture, appliances and personal possessions, nor in areas obstructed or inaccessible on the date of inspection. North Carolina adds the consequence for the reader: the operator is not responsible for any evidence that may have been inaccessible at the time. An area marked that way is an area the report says nothing about, which is not the same as saying it is clear.

What drives the WDI report cost?

The WDI report cost is driven by the number of structures listed, the difficulty of accessing crawl spaces or attics, and whether a second visit is required.

Form NPMA-33 contains no printed fields asking for treatment prices, repair estimates, or inspection fees. To understand who pays these fees during a real estate closing, read my guide on who pays for termite inspection.

Two main factors control total inspection expenses: accessibility and re-inspections. NPMA-33 states that if an inaccessible area is later cleared and inspected, the company may charge an additional fee. California law sets a cap on these follow-up charges, stating that a registered company reinspecting repairs within four months can charge no more than the original inspection fee for each reinspection.

What documents arrive with the completed inspection report?

You receive the filled-out state or national inspection form, along with any attachments, state-mandated disclosures, or treatment warranties.

Form NPMA-33 includes Section V for comments and attachments, explicitly noting that attached sheets form an integral part of the report. In North Carolina, state rules require the pest control operator to attach a copy of the written agreement and warranty if a pest treatment was performed as part of the transaction.

State regulations also dictate who receives the final paperwork. Mississippi administrative regulations require the pest control operator to issue copies of the official report to the mortgage lender, seller, buyer, and realtor when known. Arizona’s form carries a statement of purchaser acknowledging receipt of the report and setting out what it is not. Once the document is in your hands, reading it is a separate job, and my guide to what a WDI report means, line by line goes through a completed one.

When is a WDI inspection report the wrong purchase?

Ordering an official WDI report is the wrong call if you do not need real estate closing documents, suspect mold damage, need structural repair estimates, or hold a valid current report.

First, if nobody has asked you for a document and you simply want to know whether you have termites, you are buying a transaction form to answer a question a plain inspection answers. Second, if your primary concern is water damage or mold, Form NPMA-33 excludes non-insect organisms entirely. Third, if you need to know how much structural repairs will cost, North Carolina guidelines state that pest operators are not qualified to evaluate damage extent or repair costs. Fourth, if you already hold an inspection report that your lender accepts within its valid timeframe, ordering another produces duplicate paperwork.

What are the alternatives to a WDI report and what do they do better?

Standard pest inspections, general home inspections, and structural engineering reviews offer targeted evaluations that a standard WDI report cannot deliver.

A standard termite inspection evaluates pest activity without generating formal real estate transfer documents, and it is often included in a service contract somebody is already paying for. What it does not produce is a document a lender will take.

A general home inspection examines broad property systems, including plumbing, roofing, and electrical networks. It looks at far more of the building than this report does. Virginia’s rule for home inspection contracts lists wood-destroying organisms and mold among the exclusions a home inspector may disclose, which is Virginia’s rule rather than a national one, and the person doing it holds a home inspection licence rather than a pest control one. It is a different purchase, not an overlapping one.

A structural engineer or licensed general contractor evaluates structural framing integrity and calculates exact repair costs. The North Carolina Department of Agriculture & Consumer Services recommends leaving damage and repair evaluations to building experts rather than pest operators.

What is my recommendation before you order a termite letter?

I recommend confirming your lender’s exact document requirements, specifying detached structures during booking, and clearing access paths before the inspector arrives.

My read is that spending an hour moving storage boxes away from crawl space hatches and attic access panels is the most practical step you can take. I have not seen your property or your loan file, but an area marked inaccessible is an area you paid to have looked at and did not, and the form itself says a company may charge an additional fee to come back once you have cleared it.

Take time to pick a properly licensed operator. University of Kentucky entomologist Michael Potter points out that termites cause damage slowly, meaning taking extra days to select a reputable company will not compromise your home. If your completed report reveals active pests, you can review your options in my guide on what to do after a failed termite inspection.

Sources

Where it works well

  • Produces the specific document a lender or a purchase contract will accept.
  • Records in writing which parts of the property were not reachable on the day.
  • Must be issued by someone holding a state licence whose number appears on the report.
  • Puts a licensed opinion on the house before the money moves rather than after.

Where it falls short

  • Covers four insects and the areas that were reachable, and nothing else.
  • The scope is a write-in field, so a detached building can be left out without anything looking wrong.
  • The inspector is not qualified to evaluate the damage the report may record.
  • The company writing the finding is often the company that would sell the treatment.

Common questions

Does this cover my detached garage or shed?

Only if you ask for it. The scope of the whole report is written into a field called "Structure(s) Inspected", and nothing printed on the national form makes the inspector list every building on the property. North Carolina states the convention plainly: permanently attached decks, porches and storage sheds are included, while outbuildings and other detached structures are not routinely inspected unless the client specifically requests it. Say so when you book, not when you read the report.

What can I do beforehand to make the report worth more?

Open things up. The national form lets an inspector record an area as inaccessible if a crawl space has under 24 inches of clearance below the floor joists, if an attic opening is too small or needs a ladder, or if getting to something would mean moving stored items, furniture or appliances. Every area recorded that way is an area the report says nothing about, and North Carolina notes the operator is not responsible for evidence that was inaccessible at the time.

Can the company that inspects also do the treatment?

It is common and nothing in these documents prohibits it. What is worth knowing is that Section III of the national form records a recommendation and carries no field for its price, so any number you were given arrived separately and is a quote rather than a finding. Kentucky's extension service suggests asking more than one company for an inspection and estimate, and frames it as verifying the problem exists rather than as shopping around.

My lender rejected the report. What usually went wrong?

Start with which form it is on. Georgia allows only its own report for the transfer of real property and says another form such as the NPMA form may not be used; Arizona requires a federally required form in addition to the state one rather than instead of it; Florida forbids a licensee from adding disclaimers or extra language to the state report. A report on the wrong form, or with something written on it that should not be there, is a paperwork problem rather than a finding about the house.