Will You Get a “Clean Bill of Health” With Your Termite Inspection

Dec 09, 2016

Have you ever wondered what information you actually receive when you have a termite inspection done? While you’ve probably been told you’ll receive a WDI report (a.k.a. NPMA-33), what is this? So many questions you need answers for so you know what you’re being told.

A WDI (Wood Destroying Insect/Infestation Report) never gives a home a clean bill of health. Instead, when inspectors fill this form out correctly you’ll discover there’s no box on the form that says a structure is termite-free. There are only two boxes available: one for “no visible evidence of wood destroying insects was observed” and a second for “visible evidence of wood destroying insects was observed as follows…” As such, the inspector can only say he did or didn’t find any such evidence. Based on this evidence the inspector then recommends whether treatment is necessary.

An inspector can’t inspect every single inch of a house, so they can’t give it a clean bill of health. For instance, they can’t see through walls, under a poured porch, under an inaccessible deck, or in an inaccessible crawl space. Since this is true for almost 100% of homes, inspectors can’t say there aren’t any wood-destroying organisms aren’t present. Of course, they do need to say which areas they couldn’t inspect so you’ll know where termites could hide.

When you’re buying a home, contact us for a termite inspection, but keep these things in mind. Pay careful attention to the form’s wording so you can see this for yourself and if you have any questions, don’t fear asking.

 

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