WDO Termite Inspection Florida

What WDO means and what the inspector looks for

WDO stands for wood-destroying organisms. Florida law requires a licensed pest control business to report these inspections on the state form from the Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services. The inspection covers:

• Subterranean termites, including the aggressive Formosan species, which build mud tubes from the soil up foundations and walls.
• Drywood termites, which live inside the wood itself and leave small piles of pellets (frass) near window sills, baseboards and in attics.
• Wood-boring beetles, such as powderpost beetles.
• Wood-decaying fungi, meaning rot, often from leaks or moisture.

The inspection is visual. The inspector does not cut into walls or move furniture, so the report also lists the areas that were not accessible and why.

How to read the FDACS-13645 report

The form is standardized, which makes it easy to compare. The key boxes:

• No visible signs of WDO observed: the best result, though it only covers what the inspector could see that day.
• Visible evidence of WDO observed: the report then says whether it was live organisms, evidence such as dead insects, frass, or shelter tubes, or damage, and where.
• Evidence of previous treatment: drill holes in a slab or a fumigation notice in the attic or electrical panel. Ask the seller for the treatment records and any warranty.
• Obstructions and inaccessible areas: attics with blown insulation, finished garages, stored items and exterior areas blocked by landscaping. A long list here means the clean result tells you less.

If the inspector could not get into the attic or behind stored boxes in the garage, ask the seller to clear access and pay for a re-inspection of those areas before your inspection period runs out. Attics are where drywood termites are most often found.

Read the comments section closely. Phrases like "damage observed, extent unknown" mean you need someone to open up the wood and look.

Who pays, and how findings play out in the contract

The buyer normally orders and pays for the WDO inspection. What happens after a finding depends on the contract form.

• Florida Realtors/Florida Bar standard contract: it sets a separate WDO repair limit for treatment and repair of termite findings. The seller handles treatment and repairs up to that limit. If costs exceed it, the parties can negotiate, and either side may have options to pay the difference or cancel.
• AS IS contract: no repair obligation. If the report shows activity or damage, you negotiate a price change or credit, or cancel within the inspection period.

In either case, get a treatment proposal and a repair estimate in writing before you agree on numbers. A treatment quote is not a repair quote. Damage to sill plates, trusses, door frames or wall studs is a carpenter or contractor job, sometimes with a permit.

Treatment options you will see in the quote

• Fumigation (tenting): the standard answer for widespread drywood termites. The house is wrapped and fumigated, and you are out for a few days. It kills active drywood termites in the structure but leaves no lasting protection.
• Spot treatment: for limited drywood activity in one area. Cheaper, but only treats what was found.
• Liquid soil treatment: for subterranean termites, applied around and under the foundation, sometimes by drilling the slab.
• Bait systems: stations around the house, monitored and serviced on a schedule, also for subterranean termites.

Ask which termite type was found, since the treatment differs. A fumigation does nothing about subterranean termites coming from the soil, and soil treatment does nothing about drywood termites already in the attic.

Termite bonds and warranties

Many Florida homes carry a termite bond or warranty from a pest control company, usually tied to a past treatment and renewed every year. Before closing, ask the seller for:

• The current contract and the date of the last renewal and inspection.
• Whether it is a repair warranty (company pays for new damage) or a retreatment-only warranty (company only retreats).
• Whether it transfers to a new owner, and the transfer fee.
• Which termite type it covers. Subterranean-only bonds are common and do not cover drywood termites.

A transferable repair warranty from a company that has serviced the house for years is worth real money. A lapsed bond or a retreatment-only contract is much less useful.

Lenders, condos and older homes

Some loan types and lenders require a WDO report for Florida purchases, and it is usually dated close to closing. Your lender will tell you if they need one and how recent it must be.

Condo buyers are in a different position. The association is usually responsible for treating the building structure, including tenting, and the cost runs through the budget or a special assessment. The statewide typical condo value is $262,592, and for those buyers the useful questions are when the building was last treated, whether there is an association contract, and whether termite repairs show up in the reserve study or recent minutes. A WDO inspection of the unit itself is still worth doing if the interior has wood cabinetry, doors or trim.

Older single-family homes, especially those with wood framing, wood siding or crawl spaces, deserve extra attention. Block homes on a slab are common in Florida and are not termite-proof: termites go for the wood trusses, door frames and baseboards.

After you move in

Keep mulch and soil off the foundation, fix leaks quickly, trim shrubs back from walls, and keep firewood and lumber away from the house. Watch for swarmers in spring, and for frass near windows. Renew the bond if you have one, and keep every treatment receipt for when you sell. The next buyer's WDO report will show prior treatment, and records turn that from a question into a selling point.

Consider a periodic inspection every year or two even if nothing has shown up. Florida's warm, humid climate gives termites a long active season, and the damage they cause usually stays hidden inside walls and trusses until it is extensive. A yearly look by the company that holds your bond is often included in the renewal, so use it.

When I send buyers a shortlist, I note which listings disclose past treatment or an active bond, so the inspection period goes into confirming facts, not discovering them.