Matching service only. Under Florida Chapter 482 we are not a certified operator. We do not spray, bait, tent, or inspect.
Matching service. A WDO inspection for a Winter Garden or Horizon West house is a licensed report under Fla. Stat. § 482.226. Orlando West Pest Care does not inspect, tent, or write the form.
Buyers, sellers, and refinance files in west Orlando all collide on the same acronym: WDO — wood-destroying organism. Florida is specific about when a licensee must use the department’s form. When a pest control licensee inspects for wood-destroying organisms in connection with a real estate transaction and either charges a fee or is asked for a written report, section 482.226 applies. The report is a snapshot of what was visible and accessible that day. It is not a lifetime guarantee of absence unless the report specifically states the extent of such a guarantee.
That sentence matters on a Plant Street bungalow and on a new Horizon West slab. Different houses. Same statute. Oak litter against an older skirt, an addition with unknown pretreat history, and a 2020 builder lot with irrigation against the stem wall are different conducive-condition notes. None of them convert this matching site into the company named on the form.
What the report is not
A pile of wings on a windowsill after a storm is not a WDO. A flashlight photo of a mud tube is not a WDO. A neighbor’s “they tented last year” story is not a WDO. Compare termite swarm vs flying ants and drywood vs subterranean termites. FDACS lists several termite groups commonly discussed in Florida — including subterranean and drywood stories that are not interchangeable — and states that treatments vary with the type identified. Identification and treatment, if any, belong to a licensee under Chapter 482. Advertising tenting or soil treatment from this site would be advertising pest control we are not licensed to perform (Fla. Stat. § 482.191).
Carpenter ants are another confusion after wings show up. They are not termites, and a Windermere windowsill is not a lab tray. See carpenter ants vs termites in Windermere.
Sale versus refinance
Selling a west Orlando house often triggers a lender or contract request for a current WDO. The question of who orders it — buyer, seller, or both under contract language — is a transaction question. The question of who is allowed to write the department form is a licensing question. See selling a house: who orders the WDO.
Refinancing an Ocoee or Winter Garden house can trigger the same paperwork even when no one is moving. Underwriters still ask for a current look. See WDO when refinancing in Ocoee. In both cases we match a licensed operator. We do not schedule the inspector as if we were the company on the form, and we do not invent a license number to “make the file move.”
New construction still has gaps
Horizon West lots are young, but FDACS guidance and Florida’s construction-related termite rules still matter after closing. Builder pretreat, later landscaping against the slab, and unsealed penetrations are not the same file as a 1980s bungalow with wood-to-ground contact. See new-construction termite gaps in Horizon West. A matching note after closing is still a licensed look — not a DIY “termite check” with a screwdriver and a blog post.
What to send on the match form
Say whether this is a sale, a refinance, or swarmers you are not selling over. Name the city or subdivision — Winter Garden, Horizon West, Hamlin, Windermere, Ocoee. If the contract has a deadline, say so in the notes without pasting private financial data. Use termite / WDO or get a quote. We match you with a licensed local pest control operator. We do not inspect, tent, bait, or write Fla. Stat. § 482.226 forms.
Visible and accessible — what that phrase actually means
Florida’s WDO form language is about what a licensee can see and reach on the day of the inspection. Attic areas that are unsafe, rooms that are locked, flooring that cannot be lifted, and exterior grades buried in dense shrubbery are classic limits. A buyer who expects a guarantee that “nothing is in the walls” is asking for something the statute does not force every report to promise. The report states findings and the limits of the look. That is why a matching service that does not inspect should not paraphrase a report it never wrote.
West Orlando’s wet-season calendar still matters as context. Orlando International’s 1991–2020 normals put more than half the year’s rain into June through September. Swarmers and moisture notes cluster on that calendar. They still do not replace a licensed 482.226 document. If your only evidence is wings on a sill after a storm, say that on the match form. If the file is a closing date, say that instead. We match you with a licensed local pest control operator for Winter Garden, Horizon West, and nearby cities. We do not inspect.
Related matching notes
- Matching service page
- Service area
- Get a quote
- Selling a house: WDO
- WDO when refinancing
- Drywood vs subterranean
Sources
- Fla. Stat. § 482.226 (WDO inspection reports)
- Fla. Stat. § 482.191
- FDACS, Pest Control
- FDACS, Termites
Is a WDO the same as a termite treatment?
No. A WDO report is an inspection document under 482.226. Treatment, if any, is a separate licensed job.
Do you perform WDO inspections?
No. We match you with a licensed local pest control operator. We do not inspect or write the department form.
Does refinance need a WDO in Florida?
Lenders and underwriters often request one. When a licensee inspects and a written report is involved, 482.226 still governs the form.
Can a photo of wings replace the report?
No. Wings on a sill are a matching note, not a 482.226 document.