Does a regular home inspection check for termites?
Not as part of the standard inspection. The Texas home inspection standards say the inspector is not required to determine whether termites or other wood-destroying insects are present. So a clean general inspection report does not tell you either way about termites. Reporting on wood-destroying insects takes a separate state license.
The termite answer comes from a separately licensed termite inspection. Anyone who reports on wood-destroying insects in a Texas home has to be licensed through the Texas Department of Agriculture’s Structural Pest Control Service. On the official report, the person who did the inspection has to be a certified applicator or a technician licensed in the termite category.
So when you call to book your home inspection in New Braunfels, ask a plain question: do you also hold a termite license, or should I book a pest control company for that? If the answer is the second one, book the termite inspector the same day you book the home inspector. Both reports need to come back while you still have time to act on them.
If you are still lining up the rest of your inspection plan, my guide to common New Braunfels home inspection problems covers what usually shows up on the general report.
What does the Texas termite report actually cover?
For a real estate sale, Texas requires a specific form. It is called the Texas Official Wood Destroying Insect Report, form SPCS/T-5. The inspector can attach photos or other pages to add detail.
The scope is narrow. The report covers the main house. Sheds, detached garages, fences, guest houses and other structures are left out unless they are listed on the report. If you are buying a place with a detached workshop or a wood fence you care about, ask for those to be included when you book.
It also covers only what can be seen and reached that day. Furniture and stored items can block the view, and the state’s inspection rules say hidden infestations and damage may not be found.
Here are the sections I’d read first:
| Report section | What it tells you |
|---|---|
| 9A and 9B | Areas the inspector could not see or reach, such as the attic, crawl space, sub floors or heavy foliage |
| 10A and 10B | Conducive conditions, such as wood touching soil, excessive moisture, a wood pile or wooden fence touching the house |
| 11A to 11G | Visible evidence of active infestation, previous infestation or previous treatment, by insect type |
| 12A and 12B | Whether corrective treatment, preventive treatment or a fix for the conducive conditions is recommended |
Read section 9 closely. A long list of blocked areas means a shorter list of places the inspector actually checked.
How should you read active, previous and treated?
Read those three columns separately. They answer different questions.
Active infestation. The inspector saw signs of current activity in or on the structure that day.
Previous infestation. This means the inspector found evidence that insects were there, but did not see current activity that day.
Previous treatment. This means there is evidence the house was treated before, such as drill marks, trenches along the foundation or a treatment notice. It does not mean that treatment was complete or that it worked. The inspecting company cannot tell you a past treatment knocked the insects out.
The treatment recommendation follows rules too. Corrective treatment can be recommended only when there is visible evidence of an active infestation, or visible evidence of a previous infestation with no sign of a prior treatment. If the only issue is conducive conditions, the report can recommend a preventive treatment or a fix to the condition itself.
Some conducive conditions are fixed by changing something, not by treating. The state’s own instructions use examples like moving a stack of firewood away from the house or repairing a sprinkler that causes excessive moisture. If your report flags something like that, ask whether a simple fix would clear it before you price out a treatment.
Foundation type changes where the inspector looks, too. A crawl space is one more area the inspector has to check if it can be reached, including the piers, floor joists, sub floors and sill plates, and the form has a box for it when it cannot be reached. If you are weighing a pier-and-beam house against a slab, my crawlspace vs. slab comparison walks through the other trade-offs.
How do the seller’s disclosure answers fit in?
Put the seller’s disclosure next to the termite report and read them together. The Texas seller’s disclosure asks whether the seller is aware of four termite items: active termites, termite or wood rot damage needing repair, previous termite damage and previous termite treatment. Those line up closely with what the termite inspector reports.
The disclosure is the seller’s knowledge as of the day it was signed. It says on its face that it is not a substitute for any inspections you may want. So a row of No answers is a starting point, not a clean bill of health.
Here is how I’d use the two documents side by side:
- Seller says previous treatment, report shows previous treatment. Good. Ask for the company name, the treatment date and any warranty.
- Seller says No, report shows previous treatment or previous infestation. Ask about it. Houses change hands, and a seller may not know what happened before they owned it.
- Report shows damage, seller marked damage needing repair as No. Ask your home inspector to look at that area closely and get it explained before your contract deadlines pass.
- Seller marked Yes on anything termite related. Ask for the explanation the form calls for and any records behind it.
What if the termite report recommends treatment?
Slow down and get the paperwork. Ask for a diagram of what will be treated, the product the company plans to use and the full warranty terms, in writing. If the seller is the one getting the estimate, ask for copies of the same papers. Two estimates that look alike on price can be very different once you compare what each one covers. Termite control options vary in cost, the areas treated, the warranty and the renewal terms, so a quote without them is hard to compare.
Then ask the seller about history. The report has a place for the inspecting company to note a contract or warranty already in effect, and the state’s instructions tell inspectors to ask about existing warranties and past treatments. If a company is already covering the house, ask for a copy of the warranty and whether it transfers. That one question can change what you ask the seller for.
Damage is a separate question from bugs. The termite report is not a structural damage report. If the report shows evidence of termites in framing, sill plates or a floor system, ask your home inspector to look closely at that area and bring in the right specialist while you still have time to act on it. My earnest money guide for New Braunfels offers explains how those deadlines and dollars fit together.
Who gets the termite report, and when should you book it?
The person who pays for the inspection is the one entitled to a copy. If you order it, you get it. If the seller ordered one before listing, you are not automatically on the list, so ask your agent to request it.
You can also learn something at the house itself. The inspector posts a notice of inspection in the house and records on the report where and when it was posted. If you see one during a showing, look for it near the breaker box or under the kitchen sink, then ask who ordered that inspection and whether you can see the report.
For timing, the simplest plan is the one I gave above. Book the termite inspection the same day you book your home inspection, and ask both companies when you will have the written report. If you are buying with a VA loan, ask your lender early whether it needs a termite report. Military families relocating to the area can find more planning steps in my military relocation buying checklist, and my buyer page covers the rest of the process.
