Pest control services
Termite inspections and WDI reports
A WDI report records what an inspector could see on one day. It is not a clearance, and the list of what they could not see matters as much as the findings.
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Written by HyrePest Research Desk Primary-source research and fact checking
The short answer
A wood-destroying insect (WDI) inspection is a visual survey of the parts of a house an inspector can reach. It is often written on the NPMA-33 form and records visible evidence of termites, carpenter ants, wood-boring beetles and similar insects on that day. It is a snapshot, not a guarantee.
Key takeaways
North Carolina’s guide says it is not a warranty that no wood-destroying insects are present. It reports what was visible at the time.
It covers more insects than termites, and it is not a structural damage report either.
HUD hosts a copy, so it is a federally used form, not only a trade document.
If the crawl space could not be reached, the report tells you nothing about the crawl space.
A company that inspects and also quotes treatment has a stake in the finding. Know which setup you are in.
When do I need a termite inspection?
Many WDI reports are ordered because a home sale calls for one. Some are worth ordering because the house calls for it.
Standard in much of the country, and expected on several federally backed loan programs. Order it early enough to negotiate on a finding.
Where the buyer’s lender will require one, knowing what it will say first is worth the fee.
The yearly inspection is what you are paying for. Treat it as a report, not a formality.
Mud tubes, six-sided pellets or shed wings are a reason to have the house checked properly, not to buy a product.
Anything hidden behind new drywall stays hidden for years.
A trench, a new patio or a drainage run can leave a gap in the treated zone.
What is a WDI report, and what is it not?
Four different documents get lumped together as a “termite letter”. They carry different weight.
| Document | What it is |
|---|---|
| A WDI inspection report | What a licensed inspector could see on the day, on a standard form. This is what you are buying. |
| A clearance letter | Not this. North Carolina’s guide says the report does not necessarily clear a structure. |
| A structural damage report | Not this either. An inspector may note damage, but whether a damaged beam still carries its load is an engineer’s question. |
| A termite bond or warranty | A separate contract with a term and a renewal. The report says what was seen. The bond says what happens next. See termite warranties and bonds. |
What does a termite inspector check?
The key word on the form is “visible”. The inspector covers only what can be reached and seen without taking the house apart.
The reachable perimeter, the foundation and the line where soil meets the house.
The crawl space or basement, sill plates, band joists, piers and subfloor.
Roof framing can show drywood termite and old house borer evidence.
Garages, porches and decks joined to the house.
Anything behind finished walls, under flooring, inside insulation, behind stored boxes, or in a crawl space too low or wet to enter.
Whether damage matters to the structure is an engineering call. The form is not an engineering report.
It lists what could not be inspected. Read it as the questions the report has not answered.
How does a termite inspection work?
The crawl space and the attic need the closest look.
Crawl space hatch, attic hatch, garage walls and the perimeter. Anything blocked on the day becomes a line in the obstructions section, not a finding.
Soil height, wood touching soil, mud tubes on the foundation and piers, damp spots at downspouts and hose bibs, and mulch against siding.
The crawl space or basement, on hands and knees with a flashlight and a probe. Tapping suspect wood with a screwdriver handle is normal.
Sills and light fixtures for shed wings, trim for blistering, and roof framing for pellets and exit holes.
Visible evidence, live activity, past treatment, damage seen, conditions that invite insects, and obstructions. A diagram usually comes with it.
Note the difference between evidence of previous activity and live activity found. They are different findings with different consequences.
What should I watch for if the inspector also sells treatment?
An inspection applies nothing. The pesticide question comes with the proposal after it. EPA tells you to ask a hired professional to find and fix the source before applying pesticides, and a good report gives you what you need to insist on that.
If one visit produces a finding and a quote, ask for the findings in writing before you discuss price.
Ask whether each finding is live activity or past activity, and what told them apart.
Ask what one would cost, and weigh it against the treatment proposal.
An inspector who does not sell treatment has no stake in the answer, though they are harder to find in some areas.
An inspection that finds nothing is a good result, not a wasted fee. A company that treats every inspection as a sales call is telling you how it inspects.
Find a pest control company for a termite inspection
Free, with no obligation: a person at HyrePest reads your request and replies. Matching with pest control companies is not live yet, so this is not a quote.
What moves the price
We publish no inspection prices. What varies is the scope, and the scope sets the fee.
| Factor | Why it changes the number |
|---|---|
| Size and construction | A crawl space house takes longer than a slab. Outbuildings and attached decks add time. |
| Access | A tight, wet or blocked crawl space is slower, and sometimes cannot be finished. |
| Deadline | A report needed in 48 hours is priced differently from one needed next week. |
| Diagram | Many reports include one. Confirm it, because you will still want it in three years. |
| Fee credited against treatment | Some companies do this. It is an incentive, not a trick, and you should know about it up front. |
| Return visit | If part of the house could not be reached, a second visit after clearing it may carry a second fee. |
HyrePest publishes no average price for this work and holds no dataset of pest control invoices. Species, severity, construction, regional pressure and whether the job is sold as a one-off or a contract move the number far enough that a single figure would mislead.
Read the two sentences that define the report
North Carolina’s Department of Agriculture says the report is “not a warranty as to the absence of wood-destroying insects; it is a report of the visible presence or absence of wood-destroying insects at the time of the inspection”.
NCDA also states the report is not a “clearance letter”, in that it does not necessarily clear a structure; not a “termite letter”, in that it addresses more than just termites; and not a structural damage report.
If you are reading it as proof the house is termite-free, it is doing something its authors say it does not do.
What to ask before you sign
Is this on the NPMA-33 or another form, and may I see a blank copy first?
What could not be inspected, and what would it take to inspect it?
Is any finding live activity, or evidence of past activity?
Was past treatment visible, and is there an existing bond on this house?
Which conditions that invite insects did you record, and which are cheap to fix?
Does your company also sell treatment, and is the inspection fee credited against it?
Will I get the diagram as well as the form?
What is your license number and category, and which state board issued it? See how applicator licensing works.
If the buyer’s lender questions this report, will you speak to them directly?
What could change your finding if you came back after the crawl space was cleared?
What to have ready
Open and clear the crawl space and attic hatches. An area that cannot be reached becomes an unanswered question.
Move stored boxes away from foundation walls in the basement and garage.
Cut back shrubs touching the siding so the perimeter can be walked.
Past reports, an earlier bond or a builder’s pre-treatment certificate.
Anything you noticed yourself, with the date and a photo.
When the report is due, booked far enough ahead to act on a finding.
Where this goes wrong
It records what was visible. If the crawl space could not be reached, the report said nothing about it. That is not the same as clear.
A finding then is a crisis. The same finding three weeks earlier is a negotiation.
It is the shortest section, and it tells you how much of the house the report really covers.
An old infestation that was treated and resolved is a fact about the house, not an emergency. The form separates them. Readers often do not.
It maps what was found and where. A future inspector, a future buyer and you in five years all want it.
The report is a record for whoever ordered it. Whether a bond transfers on sale is a separate question.
Your inquiry
Tell us about the work
Three short steps: the job, your home, and how to reach you. Nothing goes to a pest control company unless you agree.
Free, with no obligation: a person at HyrePest reads it and replies. Matching is not live yet, so this is not a quote or a dispatch line. For an active problem today, call local pest control companies directly and check their license first.
Find a Pest Control Company
Tell us what you have seen and where you are. A person at HyrePest reads it and replies about the next step.
Questions
Is a termite inspection required to buy a house?
What is an NPMA-33?
Does the report guarantee there are no termites?
Who pays for the WDI inspection?
What insects does it cover besides termites?
The report found damage. Is the house unsafe?
How long is a WDI report valid?
Written and audited by
HyrePest Research Desk
Primary-source research and fact checking
We are not a pest control company. We read the pesticide label rule, the agency guidance and the state board record ourselves, and publish each point with its source and the date we retrieved it.
Where a claim cannot be traced to a primary source, we leave it out and say so. We hold no dataset of pest control prices, so we publish no average price.
- 25
- primary-source pages (EPA, CDC, eCFR, state boards) behind the fact base
- 7
- common claims we checked, could not verify, and do not repeat
- 10
- calculators that use your numbers, not a national average
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- average prices published, because we hold no price data
How this desk works
- Primary sources only. Label law comes from FIFRA and 40 CFR 156, safety guidance from EPA and CDC, licensing from the state board that issues the license. We do not cite an article that cites a source.
- Every figure carries its retrieval date. Agency pages and board rules change. A statement without the date it was read cannot be checked.
- Identify before treating. We describe what separates one pest from another and what a good inspection looks at. We never diagnose a species from a description, and we never give pesticide application instructions.
- What we could not verify is published too. Claims that circulate widely but trace to no current primary source are listed and left out of the pages.
Authorship on this site is organizational: the analysis belongs to the desk rather than to a named individual, and we do not publish credentials we do not hold. Our editorial policy sets out how we source, date and correct what we publish.
Sources & retrieval dates
Information on this page is general and varies by species, region, construction and your own circumstances. It is not pesticide application advice, and a pesticide label is a legally binding instruction that takes precedence over anything written here.
HyrePest is not a pest control company: we inspect nothing, treat nothing, apply no pesticide and bond no structure. This page explains the work so you can read a proposal and judge the company that wrote it.