The Texas WDI report (form SPCS/T-5) when buying or selling a home

The Texas Wood Destroying Insect Report is a state form, numbered SPCS/T-5, issued under the Texas Department of Agriculture's Structural Pest Control Service rules (4 TAC 7.176). It records what an inspector found on a given day about termites and other wood destroying insects in and around a structure.

The rules are specific about the form itself. The report has to be on the department's form and cannot be altered. Photos and extra notes can be attached as an addendum, but the form's own wording stays as written. Copies go to whoever ordered the inspection, and the company that did the inspection keeps its records for at least two years.

Because the form is standardized, every WDI report in Texas follows the same layout. That makes it easier for buyers, sellers, agents and lenders to compare what was found, even when different companies did the inspections.

A WDI inspection is a visual inspection of the readily accessible areas of the house and, depending on what was ordered, the garage and other structures on the lot. On a typical Amarillo brick ranch home on a slab, the inspector works around the whole outside, then through the inside and the attic where it can be reached safely. The main things being recorded are:

• Live insects or visible evidence of subterranean termites, such as mud tubes on the slab edge, foundation walls and garage wall plates.
• Damage to wood, including baseboards, door frames, window trim and exposed framing in the garage and attic.
• Evidence of earlier treatment, such as drill holes in the slab or bait stations around the yard.
• Conducive conditions: wood touching soil, soil or mulch above the foundation line, leaks, AC condensate dripping at the slab, and fences or wood piles against the house.
• Areas that couldn't be inspected because of stored items, finished walls, floor coverings, heavy plantings or locked rooms.
• For older pier-and-beam homes, the crawlspace, piers, sill plates and floor framing where access allows.

Buyers usually schedule the WDI inspection early, alongside the general home inspection, so there's time to negotiate if something turns up. If treatment is needed, it can usually be scheduled before closing, and the seller and buyer can agree on who pays as part of the repair negotiation.

Don't leave it to the last week. Lenders sometimes want the report within a certain window before closing, and a finding that shows up late can push a closing date back. If you're unsure about timing, ask your agent or loan officer when the report needs to be in their hands, then schedule the inspection with a few days of cushion.

Our technician walks the outside of the house first, checking the slab edge, weep holes, door frames, fences, wood piles and any place soil or mulch meets the brick. Inside, they check baseboards, door and window trim, bath traps and plumbing penetrations, the garage wall plates and the attic. For pier-and-beam homes in older parts of town, the crawlspace gets a careful look where access allows.

We complete the findings on the state form and add photos as an addendum, so you and your agent can see exactly what was noted. If there's activity or a conducive condition worth fixing, we explain what it means and what the options are. To set up a WDI inspection on a home you're buying or selling, call (806) 552-3060; we answer 24/7.