The Georgia termite letter: what the wood infestation report is and when you need one

What the termite letter actually is

In a Georgia home purchase, the "termite letter" means the Official Georgia Wood Infestation Inspection Report. It is a standardised state form, completed by a licensed pest control company after inspecting the home for termites and other wood-destroying organisms — subterranean termites, wood-boring beetles and wood-decaying fungus — and for conditions that invite them.

Your general home inspector may mention signs of termites, but a general inspection is not this report. Lenders and contracts that call for a wood infestation report mean the state form, from a licensed pest control operator.

When you need one

Order it at the start of your due diligence period, alongside the general inspection, so you have the results while you can still negotiate or terminate. Lenders generally want the report dated close to closing, so ask your lender how recent it must be.

• VA loans in Georgia typically require one, and the contract and loan terms set who pays for it.
• Other loan types — some lenders ask for it; many buyers order one anyway.
• Cash purchases — not required by anyone, but strongly worth having. Termite damage in a crawl space or behind siding is exactly the kind of problem a buyer cannot see.

What the report tells you

The form records whether there is visible evidence of active infestation, evidence of past infestation, visible damage, and conditions conducive to infestation — wood touching soil, excess moisture in a crawl space, debris under the house, mulch against the siding. It also states whether the property is under a current treatment contract (a "bond").

Like a general inspection, it is visual. Inspectors do not open walls. "No visible evidence" is not a guarantee that there are none.

Termite bonds and transfers

Many Georgia homes carry a termite bond: a contract with a pest control company to treat, monitor and sometimes repair. Bonds can often be transferred to a new owner, but terms vary a great deal. Ask the seller for a copy of the bond and find out:

• Is it a retreatment-only bond, or does it also cover repair of new damage?
• What does it cost to renew each year, and is there a transfer fee?
• Does it cover subterranean termites only, or other organisms too?
• When was the last treatment and inspection, and are there damage claims on file?

How to order it inside your due diligence period

1. Day 1: ask the listing agent, through your agent, whether the home has a current termite bond and for a copy of it and the most recent inspection. If there is a bond, the company that holds it may be able to issue the report quickly.
2. Day 1–2: schedule a licensed pest control company to inspect. Ask that it be done on the same day as or close to the general inspection, so you can compare notes on any moisture or wood damage.
3. Tell them the loan type. If you are using a VA loan, say so — the lender may need the report in a particular form and dated within a particular window.
4. Get the full report, not a pass/fail. Read the sections for conditions conducive and for visible damage, and photos if offered.
5. Send it to your lender and closing attorney and calendar whether a fresh one will be needed closer to closing.

"Conditions conducive" — the part buyers skim and should not

A clean report can still list conditions that make future infestation likely. In Georgia's humid climate these are common, and most are cheap to fix once you own the house, but they tell you how the home has been cared for:

• Wood-to-soil contact — deck posts, siding or door frames touching dirt.
• Moisture in the crawl space — standing water, wet insulation, no vapor barrier, poor ventilation.
• Mulch or soil piled against the foundation above the slab or siding line.
• Leaking gutters or downspouts discharging next to the house.
• Wood debris — old form boards or scrap lumber left under the house.
• Firewood stacked against the walls.

A worked example

Say the report on a 1990s ranch notes no active termites, but old damage to a sill plate in the crawl space, previously treated, plus a damp crawl space. The seller has a retreatment-only bond. A sensible buyer during due diligence would: ask for the treatment records and the bond; have the general inspector or a structural engineer look at the old damage; get a quote for crawl space moisture control; then ask for a credit covering the moisture work and confirm the bond will transfer. The termites are not the problem in that house — the moisture that invites them back is.

If the report finds activity or damage

Active infestation is usually treatable. The questions are how much damage exists and who pays. Common paths inside the due diligence period: the seller treats and provides a new letter; the seller repairs damage, ideally with a contractor's or engineer's write-up; you take a credit or price reduction; or you terminate. Old damage that was treated years ago is common in Georgia — what matters is whether it was repaired properly and whether the structure is sound. When in doubt, a structural engineer's opinion is cheap compared with the alternative.

Common questions

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