No. A general home inspector does not check for termites. The industry’s own standard of practice excludes wood-destroying insects from a routine home inspection, so if you want to know whether a property has an active infestation you need a separate inspection by a licensed pest control professional. Termites and related pests cause an estimated $30 billion in damage to U.S. structures and crops each year, and most of that damage stays hidden inside framing until it becomes structural.
What Your Home Inspector Actually Covers
A general home inspector evaluates the visible, accessible systems of a house: roof, foundation, electrical, plumbing, HVAC, and structure. The job is to flag major defects that affect safety or livability. The American Society of Home Inspectors’ 2026 Standard of Practice states plainly that an inspector is “NOT required to determine the presence of wood destroying insects and organisms.”1ASHI. ASHI Home Inspection Standard of Practice 2026 Most inspection contracts repeat that exclusion in their own language.
There’s also a licensing wall. In every state, issuing a formal wood-destroying insect report requires a structural pest control license or a specific pesticide applicator category from the state’s pest control board. A general home inspector who spots winged termites during a walkthrough still cannot sign an official clearance letter without that credential. Some individuals hold both licenses and can perform both inspections in one visit, but the person signing the pest report has to hold the pest-specific license.
Clues a Home Inspector Will Still Note
Even though your inspector won’t diagnose termites, a good one flags conditions that invite them. Expect to see notes about:
- Soil piled against siding or wood-to-ground contact at decks and porches
- Mulch banked against exterior walls
- Moisture problems from plumbing leaks or poor drainage
- Wooden debris left in a crawl space
These usually appear in reports as “conditions conducive to pest activity.” Treat that phrase as a push toward ordering a dedicated termite inspection, not as a substitute for one.
What a Separate Termite Inspection Covers
A Wood Destroying Insect (WDI) inspection is a focused visual examination for four categories of pests: termites, carpenter ants, carpenter bees, and reinfesting wood-boring beetles.2Department of Housing and Urban Development. NPMA-33 Wood Infestation Report Form The inspector walks the foundation perimeter looking for mud tubes, the narrow earthen tunnels subterranean termites build between soil and wood. They check for exit holes in drywall and trim where reproductive termites have swarmed, and for frass, the wood-colored pellets drywood termites push out of their galleries.
In basements and crawl spaces the inspector taps floor joists and sill plates with a sounding tool, since wood that sounds hollow often has internal damage invisible from the surface. Utility line penetrations and the seams where sub-flooring meets framing get close attention because those are common entry points. The result is a written report documenting either live insects, physical evidence of past or current activity, or a clean finding.
When Your Lender Will Require One
Whether you actually have to order a termite inspection often depends on the loan.
VA Loans
The VA has the broadest mandate. A WDI inspection is required for properties in more than 30 states, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, Guam, the U.S. Virgin Islands, and American Samoa. Colorado, Iowa, Nebraska, Nevada, New York, Pennsylvania, and Utah require inspections only in specific higher-risk counties.3U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs. Local Requirements – VA Home Loans If a state isn’t listed, no inspection is required unless the VA appraiser flags a concern. Veterans are permitted to pay for the inspection and any needed repairs, though the VA encourages negotiating those costs with the seller.4U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs. VA Circular 26-22-11
FHA Loans
FHA is conditional. On existing properties, a termite inspection isn’t automatic, but if the FHA appraiser sees evidence of infestation or prior treatment, the lender must order an inspection by a qualified pest control professional and confirm the property is clear before closing. For new construction with maximum financing, HUD requires a wood infestation report in most areas, with exceptions for regions designated as minimal termite risk. Soil poisoning is not accepted as a treatment method under FHA guidelines if it could contaminate the water supply.5Department of Housing and Urban Development. FHA Single Family Housing Policy Handbook 4000.1
USDA Loans
USDA guaranteed rural housing loans require a termite inspection when the lender, appraiser, home inspector, or state law calls for one to confirm the property is free of active infestation. It isn’t mandatory on every USDA loan, but lenders in termite-heavy regions almost always ask for one. For new construction the USDA doesn’t routinely require the lender to submit termite documentation, though lenders may still collect it based on state law or investor rules.6USDA Rural Development. HB-1-3555 Chapter 12 – Property and Appraisal Requirements
Conventional Loans
Conventional mortgages have no blanket federal termite inspection requirement. Individual lenders can still make one a condition of approval, especially on properties in high-risk zones or where the appraisal flags potential damage. Even when no one requires the inspection, ordering it yourself is cheap insurance on a purchase this size.
What the Extra Inspection Costs
A standalone WDI inspection for a residential property typically runs between $75 and $325, with most homebuyers paying around $100. The price depends on the size of the home, regional labor rates, and whether the property has a crawl space or other slow-access areas. The fee is usually collected at the time of inspection or folded into closing costs through escrow. Commercial and large multi-unit properties tend to cost more, sometimes $200 to $600.
What the Termite Report Doesn’t Tell You
A WDI inspection is a snapshot, not a guarantee. The report reflects what the inspector could see on the day of the visit. Termites can build new mud tubes at roughly two and a half inches per hour, so an infestation can appear shortly after a clean inspection. The inspector cannot see inside walls, under insulation, or behind stored belongings. Any area physically blocked during the inspection gets noted as inaccessible, and the findings don’t cover those spaces.
The report also isn’t a structural damage assessment. If the inspector finds evidence of wood-destroying insects, the report documents location and species. Evaluating how much structural damage has occurred is a job for a structural engineer or contractor. A clean WDI report means no visible evidence was found that day, not that the home has never had termites. That distinction matters if damage later turns up behind a finished wall.
If the Inspection Finds Termites
A positive WDI report doesn’t automatically kill a deal, but it does reshape the negotiation. Buyers typically respond one of three ways: ask the seller to pay for treatment before closing, request a closing credit to cover treatment, or negotiate a price reduction that accounts for the remediation.
Treatment costs depend on method and severity. Chemical soil treatments for a full perimeter typically run $500 to $2,000, with severe infestations costing more. Bait station systems range from $1,000 to $2,500 for initial installation, with an additional $200 to $400 per year for monitoring. Structural repairs are their own line item: replacing a support beam can run $1,500 to $5,000, and repairing a compromised load-bearing wall can reach $10,000 or more.
Sellers who resolve the problem before closing tend to recover more of their price than those who offer a blanket reduction, because buyers perceive an unresolved termite issue as a larger risk than the treatment actually costs. If you’re the buyer, make sure any treatment comes with a warranty or service agreement you can verify independently with the pest control company.