Is a termite inspection required to buy a house in Virginia?

What the law says

Virginia's residential property disclosure law tells buyers that the owner makes no representations about the condition of the property and that they should exercise whatever due diligence they deem necessary, including obtaining a home inspection.^[1] It leaves protecting yourself to you, in line with whatever your purchase contract allows before settlement. That means a termite inspection is something you normally choose to order, or are made to order by a lender, rather than something the seller has to hand you.

Where the requirement comes from

Your loan. This is the usual source. Lenders and loan programs set their own rules, and they can differ by program. For VA home loans, the VA says that wood-destroying insect information is required for the entire state of Virginia on VA home loans,^[2] and the VA adds that wood-destroying insect information requirements can also be found in Chapter 12, Section 33 of the VA Lenders Handbook.^[2] For a conventional or FHA loan, ask your loan officer in writing whether a wood-destroying insect report is a condition of the loan, and what form they accept.

Your contract. The purchase contract can give you an inspection period and let you walk away or renegotiate based on what a WDI inspection finds. If you want that protection, make sure the inspection is written into the contract and the deadline is long enough to get a report. Your agent or a real estate attorney can say what your contract does.

Your own judgment. Even with no requirement, an inspection is worth considering. Subterranean termites usually invade a structure from the soil along the foundation, commonly through cracks in the slab, utility conduits, expansion joints and plumbing connections,^[5] and the damage can be hidden. A short report before you commit costs far less than finding the problem after settlement.

Does your home inspection cover it

Usually not as a clearance. Virginia's home inspector regulation lists the presence of wood-destroying organisms among the exclusions a home inspection contract may state,^[3] so read the contract to see whether termites were excluded. If they were, order a separate WDI inspection. See does a home inspector need a licence in Virginia.

Who should do it

A licensed pest control business. A pesticide business license is required for any person or business operating in Virginia that, in exchange for compensation, sells, stores, distributes, mixes, applies or recommends pesticides.^[4] Ask to see the licence and read do pest control companies need a licence in Virginia. If the report finds activity, get a written treatment proposal and have any damage assessed before you settle, which can be a good moment to renegotiate.

What the sale and the report can tell you

Understand what you are getting: what a WDI inspection is explains what the report covers and its limits, and how much a termite inspection costs in Virginia explains what changes the price.

When to call a licensed pro

For the inspection and for any treatment it leads to. Do not skip a lender's requirement or guess at a clean bill of health. Book a licensed pest control business early, because inspection windows in purchase contracts are short.

Browse inspection services, read more inspection answers, or describe the termite job on Loclis so licensed businesses can quote it in writing.