Termite Inspections in Northern Virginia: Who Pays & What Happens If They Find Something
Termite Inspections in Northern Virginia: Who Pays & What the Report Covers
In Northern Virginia, the Wood-Destroying Insect (WDI) inspection — commonly called the termite letter — is a standard part of the NVAR sales contract, required within 90 days of settlement. The buyer typically selects the inspector and pays the fee, which runs $50–$150, though this is negotiable in the contract. If the report finds active, live infestation, the seller is contractually responsible for treatment at their own expense and must provide a paid receipt before closing. VA loans have their own version of this rule, updated in 2025, that changes who can pay the fee.
- Buyer usually pays for the WDI inspection ($50–$150), but it's negotiable in the contract.
- If live wood-destroying insects are found, Virginia contracts make the seller pay for treatment, not repairs.
- VA loan buyers can now pay the inspection fee themselves under 2025 rule changes — sellers no longer have to cover it by default.
- Virginia is a caveat emptor state, so this report is one of the few contractual protections buyers actually get.
- Order your WDI inspection early in the contract timeline so treatment, if needed, doesn't threaten your settlement date.
If you're buying or selling in Fairfax County, Loudoun, or anywhere else in Northern Virginia, you've probably seen a line item in your contract for a "WDI inspection" and wondered what it actually means, who's on the hook for it, and what happens if the news isn't good. Here's what I tell every client who asks.
What the WDI Report Covers & Why It's Required
The WDI report — Wood-Destroying Insect inspection — checks for termites, carpenter ants, powderpost beetles, and other insects that damage a home's structural wood. It's not the same as your general home inspection. A licensed pest control company does this one, and it's a separate line item in the contract with its own timeline.
In the standard Northern Virginia sales contract, the report has to be completed within 90 days before settlement. That window matters. If your closing gets pushed, you may need a fresh report, since lenders and title companies won't accept a stale one.
The report documents two different things: prior damage and current, live infestation. Old damage that's already been treated and repaired isn't a dealbreaker — it happens in older homes throughout Vienna, Falls Church, and Arlington all the time. What matters to your contract is whether the report finds evidence of an active, live problem right now.
This is one of the few areas where Virginia's caveat emptor ("buyer beware") standard gets a contractual carve-out. Virginia doesn't require sellers to proactively disclose most property conditions — that's what makes the Virginia Residential Property Disclosure Statement so limited in what it actually covers. The WDI inspection requirement in the sales contract fills part of that gap by forcing an actual inspection to happen, rather than relying on the seller to volunteer the information.
Most buyers order the WDI inspection around the same time as the general home inspection, often through the same company or a referral from their inspector. I usually recommend scheduling it as early as your contract allows, because if there's an issue, you want time to work through it — not three days before you're supposed to get keys.
Who Pays for the Inspection & Who Pays for Treatment
These are two separate questions, and mixing them up is the most common confusion I see.
The inspection fee is a matter of negotiation. In most Northern Virginia contracts, the buyer selects the company and pays for the report, but this is a line the parties can and do negotiate — some sellers agree to cover it as part of a broader concessions package, especially in a buyer's market.
Treatment, if something is found, works differently. Under the standard Northern Virginia contract language, if the WDI report finds live insect activity, the seller is responsible for having the problem treated at their own expense and must provide the buyer with a paid receipt showing the treatment was completed before settlement. This is separate from — and in addition to — anything you negotiate through the general home inspection contingency. You can read more about how that broader repair negotiation works in my post on negotiating repairs after a home inspection.
Here's the distinction that trips people up: treatment is the seller's obligation if live insects are found, but repairing the damage those insects caused is a different conversation entirely, and it typically gets negotiated the same way any other inspection finding would. A termite letter showing $400 in treatment costs is a very different negotiation than one that reveals compromised floor joists needing structural repair.
If you're a seller, this is exactly the kind of finding I prepare my clients for before we ever go under contract. A pre-listing inspection can catch an active infestation early, so you're not scrambling to schedule treatment during your 90-day-plus escrow period. If you're curious what your home might reveal before a buyer's inspector finds it, a home valuation conversation is a good place to start that planning.
VA Loans, Live Infestations & What Happens Next
If you're using a VA loan, the WDI inspection has an extra layer of rules, and they changed in 2025. Historically, VA guidelines required the seller (or another non-buyer party) to pay the termite inspection fee on a first-time VA purchase, since VA borrowers weren't allowed to cover it themselves. As of the 2025 update, VA borrowers can now pay for their own WDI inspection when one is required, which gives buyers and sellers more flexibility in how that cost gets allocated in the contract. If you're financing with a VA loan, my guide to VA loans in Northern Virginia walks through how this fits into the bigger picture of VA-specific requirements.
So what actually happens if the report comes back with live activity? Here's the sequence:
- The inspector documents the finding in the WDI report, noting the location and type of infestation.
- The seller arranges treatment through a licensed pest control company — this is a contractual obligation, not optional.
- The seller obtains a paid receipt and provides it to the buyer, typically before or at settlement.
- If damage exists beyond the infestation itself, that becomes part of the broader repair negotiation, separate from the treatment obligation.
- The title company or your Title/Settlement Company confirms the receipt is in the closing file before disbursing funds.
Because Virginia is a caveat emptor state, this contractual sequence is one of the few consumer protections buyers get automatically — it's not optional, and it's not something a seller can simply skip by saying they didn't know. That's part of why I walk every listing client through their WDI exposure before we put a sign in the yard, whether that home is in Reston, McLean, or Prince William County.
Frequently Asked Questions: Termite Inspections in Northern Virginia
If you're getting ready to sell in Northern Virginia and want to know what a buyer's inspector — including the pest control company — might find before you list, I'd be glad to put together a free home valuation for you, including a personalized net sheet that accounts for the real costs of getting to closing. Find out what your home is worth today.
If you're buying and want help understanding what to expect from your contract's WDI clause before you write an offer, let's talk it through. Schedule a consultation here.