What a Termite Inspection Report Covers When You Sell a Home in Arizona

A termite inspection report for an Arizona home sale, the Wood Destroying Insect Inspection Report or WDIIR, covers four things: whether there is visible evidence of live termites or other wood destroying insects, whether there is evidence of a past infestation, whether there is evidence of a past treatment, and what conditions on the property make an infestation more likely. It also lists what the inspector could not see and why.

Why the Report Exists

Arizona is one of the highest termite pressure regions in the country, so lenders want to know what they are financing. FHA and VA loans require a WDIIR from a company licensed by the Arizona Department of Agriculture Pest Management Division, and most conventional buyers request one during the inspection period even when the lender does not. Sellers order them before listing to avoid a surprise. The report is a snapshot of what a licensed inspector could see on the day of the inspection. It is not a warranty and it is not a treatment.

What the Inspector Looks At

A thorough inspection on a typical slab home takes 45 to 90 minutes and covers the places desert subterranean termites and drywood termites actually use.

• The exterior stem wall and slab edge all the way around, especially where stucco meets the slab, near drip lines, hose bibs and the AC condensate drain.

• The garage expansion joint behind the water heater and washer, and the garage to house wall.

• Plumbing penetrations under every sink, the tub trap access and behind the water heater.

• Baseboards, door frames and window sills, tapped and probed for hollow wood, bubbled paint or mud spotting.

• The attic where accessible, for drywood termite frass, damaged rafters and old treatment residue.

• Wood in contact with soil: fence posts against the house, patio posts, planters, firewood.

• Detached structures and additions, which have their own foundation joints.

The inspector also checks the state record for a prior Termite Action Report Form on the address, because a previous treatment with a TARF on file changes what the report says and what warranty, if any, the buyer inherits.

How to Read the Findings

The report uses a few standard categories, and buyers and sellers read them differently.

No visible evidence. The inspector found nothing on the day. This is the clean report a lender wants. It does not mean the house has never had termites and it does not cover areas that could not be seen.

Evidence of previous infestation, no live activity. Old dry tubes or old damage with no workers present. The lender usually accepts this, sometimes with proof of a past treatment. Buyers often ask for a warranty or a preventive treatment as a negotiating point.

Evidence of live infestation. Workers in a tube, fresh mud, active swarmers. The lender will require treatment and a clearance letter before closing. This is the finding that stalls a deal if the report was ordered too late.

Conditions conducive to infestation. Soil to wood contact, drip lines against the foundation, moisture at the slab, firewood against the house, a grade that slopes toward the wall. These are not an infestation, but they are the reasons one will happen, and they are worth fixing regardless of the sale.

Areas not inspected. Finished walls, carpeted floors, an inaccessible attic, storage against the walls, a locked shed. The report says what was not seen so nobody assumes it was.

What Happens When the Report Finds Termites

The next step is a written treatment proposal from a licensed company: a liquid trench and treat around the perimeter, drilling through the garage slab and patios, foam into live tubes, or a bait system where trenching is not practical. The treatment is done, the TARF is filed with the state, and a clearance re inspection letter goes to the lender. Who pays is negotiated between buyer and seller. The whole cycle can fit inside a normal escrow if the inspection was ordered in the first week, which is why the timing matters more than anything else in the report.

Mistakes That Cost People Money

Ordering the inspection 3 days before closing and finding live activity. Assuming the home inspector checked for termites, which is a separate license and a separate report. A seller painting or caulking over tubes on the garage joint, which an experienced inspector looks for first. Buyers expecting the report to cover scorpions, roof rats or roaches, which it does not. Treating one tube and skipping the rest of the perimeter, which sends the colony around the corner. And skipping the annual reinspection on a warranty, which is the only thing that keeps the warranty in force.

FAQ

Is a termite inspection required to sell a house in Arizona? Not by state law, but FHA and VA loans require it and most buyers request it, so nearly every sale involves one.

How long is the report good for? Lenders generally want a report dated within 30 to 90 days of closing, depending on the loan program, so a pre listing report may need to be refreshed.

Does a clean report mean I will never get termites? No. It means none were visible that day. In Arizona the pressure never goes away, and a yearly check of the stem wall and garage joint is the habit that catches the next tube early.

If a sale is in escrow and the lender needs a WDIIR, Green Ninja Pest Control does termite inspections across Arizona with reports delivered to the agent or escrow officer, usually the same or next business day.