The Laws

The Purchase Agreement (deposit receipt) makes reference to the main building to be inspected. This is actually California law as described in the Structural Pest Control Act. A copy of the Act is posted on the Structural pest control board web site . Items applicable to inspection reports are located in the General Provisions - section 8516 of the Business and Professions Codes (Structural Pest Control Board site) and in article 5 of the California Code of Regulations. These laws are signed by the Governor of California and are administrated through the Structural Pest Control Board, a division of Consumer Affairs. These laws do not dictate requirements of a real estate transaction. The spell out requirements of the Pest Control Industry as related to the consumer. Termite inspections are routinely performed in a real estate transaction for two main reasons. First, the inspection and report disclose relevant information as to the condition of the structure to protect buyers, sellers and their agents from potential lawsuits regarding disclosure. Home inspectors are also commonly hired to give additional information not covered by the Termite Report. Second, if a lender is involved in the transaction, they may require a Termite Inspection and Certification before allowing a loan to be funded. See our page on Certification for more information.

Note: FHA, VA and Cal Vet loans may require section two and/or further inspection items be completed in addition to the section one work.

The Inspection

The minimum requirement for a complete Original Report is that the inspection cover the main building and all structures attached or abutted to (physically touching) the main building. If additional structures are to be inspected or attached/abutted structures are to be excluded, it should be communicated at the time the inspection is ordered. The scope of the report will include opinions as to visible evidence of active infestations of wood destroying insects and wood decay fungus infections. Damages caused by infestation or infection will also be included in the report. These would be Section One items ( see our page on Section One / Section Two for further information on report item separation). The report will also include findings where a condition is "deemed likely to lead to infestation or infection". These would be Section Two items. The report will also include recommendations for "Further Inspection" when portions of the structure that should normally be accessible were inaccessible for inspection due to lack of adequate clearances (substructures), lack of adequate access openings, locked doors or excessive storage. Recommendations are made to correct or eliminate each condition noted. A company is required to quote prices for recommendations if that company is routinely in the business of performing such work. In our reports, the diagram of the structure is on the front page and item numbers are typed on the diagram to indicate the approximate location of the finding. The second and third pages list disclaimers and limitations regarding the report. The following pages are where the findings and recommendations are listed. Each item will be designated as section one, section two, further inspection or informational. The end of the report will give a list of items and prices separated into the appropriate category. Informational items are not listed at the end of the report. Any questions regarding the inspection report should be directed to the inspector who performed the inspection.