Your lender just sent over a closing checklist, and somewhere near the bottom it says “WDI inspection required” or “wood infestation report.” No explanation. No link. Just a line item sitting between the homeowner’s insurance binder and the final walkthrough. If you’re wondering whether this is optional, who orders it, or what actually happens if something turns up, you’re not alone. Most buyers in Marietta hit this question during the due diligence period, when time is short and answers aren’t easy to find.
Georgia’s climate makes this more than a formality. The state sits in what HUD classifies as a “very heavy” Termite Infestation Probability zone, meaning subterranean termite pressure here is among the highest in the country. A wood infestation inspection is the document that tells your lender, your agent, and your closing attorney whether the home you’re buying has a problem.
At SWAT Services, we’ve been handling WDI inspections and termite control in Marietta since 1984. Over more than 41 years, we’ve walked through thousands of Georgia real estate transactions and seen every variation of this process. What follows is a plain-language walkthrough of how it actually works.
What a WDI Inspection Actually Is in Georgia
The document your lender is asking for has a specific official name: the Official Georgia Wood Infestation Inspection Report, commonly abbreviated as the WIIR. It’s issued under state authority granted by O.C.G.A. 43-45-8, and it can only be signed by a Designated Certified Operator working for a company licensed under Georgia’s wood-destroying organism (WDO) category. A general home inspector can’t produce this document, no matter how thorough their report is.
The WIIR covers exactly five organisms: subterranean termites, powder post beetles, wood boring beetles, drywood termites, and wood decaying fungi. The report explicitly excludes mold and mildew, even though both can appear in crawl spaces alongside fungal damage. It’s also not a structural report. The form itself states that the inspector isn’t evaluating overall structural soundness, so if you want a structural opinion about damage you find, you’ll need a separate assessment from a qualified building professional.
Why Lenders Require It Even When Georgia Law Doesn’t
Georgia law doesn’t require every home sale to include a WIIR. Cash buyers can technically close without one. But if you’re using a mortgage, particularly an FHA or VA loan, the inspection is almost certainly required before your loan can be approved. Georgia’s placement in the very heavy Termite Infestation Probability zone triggers HUD and VA inspection requirements automatically, regardless of whether any visible damage is present. Conventional lenders apply similar standards because the risk profile of Georgia soil and climate is well established.
One point that causes real confusion at the closing table: a general home inspector’s comment about possible termite activity doesn’t satisfy your lender’s WDI requirement. Georgia licenses home inspectors and structural pest control operators under completely separate regulatory frameworks. Your lender knows the difference, even if the checklist doesn’t explain it. Only a licensed WDO company’s Designated Certified Operator can produce the form that counts.
What Gets Inspected & What Doesn’t
The inspection covers the main structure of the home. Attached decks and enclosed porches are treated as part of that structure and must be included on the report. They can’t be noted separately or omitted because they were added later. Detached garages, storage buildings, and surrounding fencing are typically outside the standard scope.
Not every area is physically accessible, and the WIIR accounts for that. If a crawl space section is blocked by insulation, finished flooring covers a subfloor that can’t be lifted, or built-in cabinetry obscures a wall section, those areas must be listed as inaccessible rather than opened up. The report documents what was and wasn’t inspected, which matters if questions come up after closing.
The form also allows an inspector to note “conditions conducive to infestation,” but that phrase has a narrower definition than most buyers expect. The state limits reportable conducive conditions to three specific situations:
- Cellulosic debris in a crawl space: wood scraps, cardboard, or other organic material left behind by builders or previous owners
- Untreated wood-to-soil contact: framing, sills, or structural members touching the ground without treatment or a barrier
- Crawl space ventilation that doesn’t meet current residential building code: inadequate airflow that creates the moisture conditions termites and wood decaying fungi thrive in
Timing, Who Pays & the 90-Day Re-Treatment Policy
Georgia purchase contracts typically include a due diligence period of around seven to ten days, and the WDI inspection is almost always ordered within that window. You want the report in hand while you still have the contractual right to negotiate or walk away based on what it finds. Waiting until the final week before closing compresses your options significantly.
There are two timelines buyers often conflate, and keeping them separate matters. The first is a lender-driven rule about how recently the report must be dated, usually within 30 to 90 days of closing depending on the loan type. The second is a state-mandated protection: if a covered organism turns up within 90 days of a clean report, the company that issued the WIIR must treat the home at no charge. A report can be valid under your lender’s rules and still carry a re-treatment obligation that extends well past closing day.
On the question of who pays, VA loans changed in June 2022. Under VA Circular 26-22-11, VA buyers can now pay for their own termite inspection, a meaningful shift from prior VA policy, which in many cases prevented buyers from covering this cost directly. Veterans are still free to negotiate the inspection cost with the seller, so if you’re using a VA loan, confirm current practice with your lender before closing.
If the Report Finds Active Activity or Damage
The WIIR requires the inspector to distinguish between active infestation and previous infestation, and those findings are marked separately on the form. If either box is checked, a diagram pinpointing the exact location must be attached. Because a WDO inspector isn’t assessing structural integrity, any evaluation of damage caused by an infestation has to be done separately by a qualified building professional your lender approves. The WIIR answers whether organisms are present; it doesn’t answer whether a beam needs to be replaced.
Findings of active infestation typically need to be resolved with treatment before most lenders will fund the loan. That sounds alarming, but it’s actually useful information to have during your due diligence period. A clean treatment record and a follow-up clearance can satisfy most lenders’ requirements, and having the finding documented gives you a negotiating basis with the seller before you’re past the deadline to act on it.
Moving Forward on Your Marietta Home
A WDI finding doesn’t end a transaction. In Georgia, termite activity is common enough that experienced agents, lenders, and closing attorneys handle it routinely. The WIIR process exists to make sure buyers have clear documentation before they close, not to create obstacles. Understanding what the form covers, who can issue it, and what the 90-day re-treatment obligation means puts you in a much better position to handle whatever the report shows.
If you’re under contract on a home in the Marietta area and need a WIIR, or if the report came back with findings that require treatment before closing, we can handle both. Reach us at (706) 607-6393.