Most Tampa buyers meet the term for the first time in an email from their lender, about ten days before closing, phrased as though everyone already knows what it means. It is worth understanding before you are the one under a deadline.

Florida law does not require a WDO inspection to sell a house. Lenders, title companies and buyers ask for one anyway, and for VA loans the wood destroying insect requirement applies statewide in Florida. In practice, on a Hillsborough County transaction, you should expect one.

What does a WDO inspection actually cover?

Four categories of organism, defined by the state. Termites, powderpost beetles, old house borers and wood decaying fungi. Those are the wood destroying organisms the report is about, which is why carpenter ants and roof rats do not appear on it even though they can damage a house.

The inspector looks at visible and accessible areas. That phrase does the heavy lifting. Accessible means an area that can be entered or viewed without removing finished surfaces or moving heavy stored items. An attic with a scuttle hatch and walkable framing gets inspected. An attic packed to the rafters with boxes gets listed as inaccessible. A crawl space with eighteen inches of clearance gets inspected. One flooded after a storm does not.

The report records four things: live organisms found, visible damage found, evidence of previous treatment, and areas that could not be inspected. That last line is the one buyers skip and later regret.

What is form 13645?

It is the state report form, issued by the Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services. Any inspection performed for a real estate transaction gets written up on it, and the form carries a plain statement that it is a pest report and not a structural damage report.

The inspector also has to post a notice of the inspection at the structure, which is why you sometimes find a small sticker inside a cabinet under the kitchen sink or on an electrical panel door. Those stickers are a useful history. If you are buying, look for them. They tell you the house has been inspected or treated before, and roughly when.

FDACS also bars an inspector from issuing a report on a structure where they hold a financial or business interest. That rule exists to keep the report separate from the sale.

Who can perform one in Florida?

A pest control business licensed by FDACS, with a certified operator in charge holding the termite and other wood destroying organisms category. The person at your house should be able to produce an employee identification card. If a general home inspector offers to include the WDO report, ask which licensed company is issuing it, because the state form has to be signed by a licensee.

What happens if the report finds something?

That depends on what it finds, and this is where the four report categories matter.

Finding on the report	What it usually means for the deal
Live subterranean termites	Treatment before closing, usually seller paid, often a liquid barrier or bait system
Live drywood termites	Local wood treatment or, if widespread, tenting and fumigation
Visible damage, no live activity	A contractor or engineer needs to price repair. The WDO report will not do it
Evidence of previous treatment	Ask for the treatment records and whether a warranty transfers
Wood decaying fungi	Usually a moisture problem first: drainage, a leak, or poor ventilation
Areas inaccessible	Decide whether to clear them and re-inspect before you close

An inaccessible attic or a blocked crawl space is a real gap in what you know about the house. On a home you are about to buy, it is reasonable to ask the seller to clear access and have the inspector return.

When should I book it?

Early. The common mistake is treating the WDO report as a final box to tick in the last week. If it comes back with live activity, you now need a treatment scheduled, possibly a repair estimate, and possibly a negotiation about who pays, all inside a closing window that has no room left in it.

A sensible sequence looks like this.

Get the property under contract and confirm what your lender requires.
Book the WDO inspection in the same week as the general home inspection.
Read the whole report, including the inaccessible areas section.
If there is a finding, get a treatment quote and a repair quote as separate numbers.
Negotiate before the inspection period ends rather than after.
If treatment happens, get the paperwork and ask whether a warranty transfers to you.

What does a WDO inspection cost in Tampa?

A signed WDO report for a real estate transaction typically runs $85 to $175 in the Tampa market, reviewed in September 2026. A routine termite inspection on a home you already own tends to sit at the lower end, and it is included at no charge when we quote a plan.

The gap between a routine inspection and a transaction report is paperwork and liability. The inspector is signing a state form that a lender, a title company and a buyer will rely on.

Does a clean report mean the house is clear?

It means no visible evidence was found in the accessible areas on that day. A clean report on a house with a sealed crawl space and a stacked attic covers less ground than a clean report on an empty house with open access everywhere.

Read the report as a description of what was looked at and what was seen. The newer subdivisions around Westchase usually inspect well, with open attics and clean slab perimeters. An older house with additions, a Florida room built over a patio slab and a low crawl space is harder, and the inaccessible list is often longer.

Booking your report

If you need a WDO report for a Tampa closing, book it as early in the contract period as you can. Our termite control page covers the inspection, the state form and both treatment paths if something turns up. Bring us the contract dates and we will work to them.

WDO Inspections Explained for Florida Home Buyers