Wood-destroying organism inspections and FDACS Form 13645 reports for home sales and buyers across Orlando and Orange County.
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A termite inspection in Orlando looks for subterranean and drywood termites and other wood-destroying organisms. When a real-estate transaction involves a fee or a written report, Florida requires a qualified inspector and the FDACS Form 13645 report. Orlando Pest Control connects you with a local technician for Orange County.
Florida handles termite work in two different ways, and buyers and sellers often mix them up. A treatment deals with termites already in the building. A wood-destroying organism (WDO) inspection examines the structure for those organisms and reports what was found. In a home sale the report is the document that changes hands, and it is written on a specific state form.
On a WDO inspection the inspector moves through the accessible parts of the structure: wood at the foundation, sills, floor framing, door and window frames, the lower parts of walls, and any cellulose debris or damaged wood. Areas that cannot be reached are listed as not inspected rather than guessed at, so the report says exactly what it covers.
Orlando homes in older neighborhoods often have crawlspaces, raised floors and framing exposed at the foundation, and that is where an inspector spends the most time. A newer slab house is a shorter inspection, but the slab edges, plumbing penetrations and any attached garage still have to be checked.
Do not open a crawlspace hatch, pull up flooring or probe wood yourself to look for termites. Damaged wood can give way, and a crawlspace may hold moisture, insects or animals. Leave the inspection to a qualified inspector and clear a safe path for them to reach the areas they need.
This is the report a Florida sale usually requires. It is carried out by a qualified person and reported on Form 13645. Check the form number on the paperwork you receive, and keep a copy with your closing documents.
A visit to check one worry, such as a soft floor, a swarm sighting or a sticking door, is a different job from a sale inspection. It can be ordered without a transaction, and the findings still describe what the inspector saw and what was not reachable.
A newer house raises different questions than an older one. The inspector looks at slab edges, utility penetrations and the attached garage, rather than the framing of a crawlspace that a new house may not have.
Tell us what's happening and we'll tell you honestly whether it's a quick fix, and what termite inspections & wdo reports should cost.
A wood-destroying organism report records termites and other organisms that damage wood, and it is the document Florida real-estate deals rely on. When a WDO inspection is part of a transaction, or carries a fee or a written report, it must be done by a qualified person and reported on FDACS Form 13645.
The requirement comes from Florida's structural pest control law in Chapter 482 of the Florida Statutes. Section 482.226 and Rule 5E-14.142 of the Florida Administrative Code set out how the inspection and form are handled. The form number is the thing to check, because it tells a buyer, a lender or a closing agent that the report was made under the state's process.
A WDO report is not a warranty. It describes the house on the day of the inspection and the areas that were reachable on that day. Its value is that it sets a shared record, so the buyer, the seller and the lender are all working from the same description of the structure.
No, and a good report says so. The inspection covers the accessible wood on the day of the visit. Termites hidden behind finished walls, under stored items or in areas the inspector cannot safely reach may not be seen, and the report lists those areas.
The listing of gaps is the most useful part of many reports. A buyer who knows that a wall, a closet or an attic was not inspected can ask for a second look or a different inspection before closing. A report that reads as complete when it is not is the riskier document.
Conditions on the day shape what can be seen. A crawlspace with standing water, a garage full of stored boxes or a finished basement wall all limit access, and the inspector records the limit instead of filling it in with an assumption.
An inspection examines the structure and reports what it finds, while a treatment is work done to control termites already present. One visit can lead to the other, but the report itself does not treat anything. You choose the next step after you read the findings and the recommendation.
Keeping the two apart matters for the paperwork. A report that recommends treatment is not a contract for treatment, and a treatment proposal is a separate document with its own scope, method and price. Read both before you agree to either, and ask what the proposal covers that the report did not.
If the report finds active termites, the next call is an inspection-based proposal for the affected areas. The subterranean termite treatment and drywood termite treatment pages explain the two common approaches.
Ask for the inspector's name and check the state identification card, which carries a WDO-inspector designation for qualified inspectors. You can also check the company's license with FDACS. Keep a copy of the report and its form number with your closing papers.
FDACS licenses pest control businesses under Chapter 482, and the state's licensing pages let you confirm a company's status. A buyer can ask for the inspector's identification at the visit and compare the name on the report with the name on the card. That is a short check that takes a few minutes and settles a question that otherwise comes up at closing.
Florida also requires a certified operator in charge of certain work. Ask who holds the state credential for the termite category and whether that person is the one doing the inspection. The answer should match the report.
Clear access to the crawlspace, the attic hatch, the garage edges and the wood at the foundation. Move stored boxes and firewood away from the walls and leave the inspector a clear path. The fewer blocked areas there are, the fewer items end up marked as not inspected.
Sellers often pile stored items against walls shortly before a sale, and that is the first thing an inspector has to work around. A short tidy of the perimeter and the garage makes a large difference to what the report can say. Remove debris from the crawlspace entry, and make sure the attic hatch opens without a ladder that is unsafe to use.
Tell the office about any repairs, drainage work or prior treatment you know about. That information goes in the record and helps the inspector read the findings in context, rather than meeting the history for the first time at the report stage.
The office asks whether the report is for a sale, a refinance or a repair question, because a real-estate transaction brings the Form 13645 requirement. The fee, the report type and the delivery date are agreed before the visit.
The inspector checks exterior wood, the foundation and pier areas, crawlspace or slab edges, interior wood at floor level, and any attic access that can be used safely.
Suspect wood is probed to test its soundness, moisture readings are taken where they help, and each finding is photographed and recorded by location, so a seller or buyer can see exactly where it was.
Areas blocked by stored items, insulation, finished walls or unsafe conditions are listed as not inspected, so the report does not imply that they were clear.
Findings and any recommendation are written on FDACS Form 13645 where the transaction requires it. The form itself may not carry added disclaimers, so the limits of the inspection are written into the findings.
In Orlando the inspection work follows the age of the house. Older homes in College Park and Winter Park often have crawlspaces, raised floors and wood framing exposed at the foundation, so the report spends most of its length on those areas. Newer houses in Baldwin Park and Lake Nona are shorter inspections built around slab edges and plumbing penetrations.
Sale timelines in Orange County are set by the contract, and the report is usually one of the deadline items that the buyer's side tracks closely. Ask the office early for the report date and the form number, so the inspection is not the last step before closing.
Central Florida's wet season changes what an inspector sees. Moisture and damaged wood can be harder to read after a run of heavy rain, so the report records the conditions on the day. Where a lot slopes toward the house, water can settle against the foundation during the wet season, and the inspector notes drainage and grading as part of the findings.
Not sure if you're covered? Check your ZIP code.
Treatment for subterranean termite activity in Orlando and Orange County, from native Reticulitermes colonies to the invasive Formosan termite.
West Indian drywood termite treatment for homes across Orlando and Orange County, planned from a mapped inspection.
Identification and inspection after winged termites appear indoors or around a home in Orlando and Orange County.
Termite protection applied during construction for new slab and foundation homes in Orlando and Orange County.
No price for pest control in Orlando is printed here, because no figure has been checked against a public body.
UF/IFAS describes winged termites appearing across Florida roughly from March through June, and says finding them does not by itself prove an infestation.
Formosan termites are an invasive subterranean species that UF/IFAS reports spreading across urban Florida.
Florida licenses structural pest control under Chapter 482, Florida Statutes, and the Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services runs the licensing.
Standard homeowners policies generally exclude termite and vermin damage, so a pest-damage claim often turns on what the policy says rather than on what the house needs.
In a Florida real-estate transaction that involves a fee or a written report, the inspection must be done by a qualified person and recorded on FDACS Form 13645. Your contract and lender may set further conditions, so read what they ask for before you book the visit.
The report describes the house on the day of the inspection, and it is not a warranty against future damage. Lenders and buyers set their own rules on how recent a report must be. Ask the office and your agent what the transaction requires.
It does not cover anything the inspector could not reach, such as wood behind finished walls, under stored items or beyond unsafe access. Those gaps are listed in the report. It also does not cover damage from other pests, which is a separate question for a different service.
Usually not without a fresh inspection, because the findings describe the house at one moment. A new buyer or lender may require a current form. Check the transaction paperwork before reusing any earlier report.
The report describes the activity and makes a recommendation. Treatment is a separate job with its own inspection and proposal. Read the findings, ask what is recommended and what is confirmed on site, and compare the scope before you decide.
No price is printed on this page. The fee for a WDO inspection depends on the property and the transaction, and the office confirms it before the visit. Ask for the fee in writing so the report and the invoice match.