It comes up in every Ohio real-estate deal that involves a termite inspection — usually in a text thread between agents at 9 p.m.: who actually pays for this? The honest answer is that it’s simpler than the internet makes it look, it changed meaningfully in 2022 for VA loans, and at today’s prices it has quietly stopped being worth negotiating at all. Here’s the complete Ohio answer — by loan type, by custom, and by the one rule that overrides everything: whatever the contract says, wins.
The One-Paragraph Answer
In Ohio, the termite/WDI inspection is a negotiable cost that follows the purchase contract. Custom puts it with the buyer on conventional and FHA deals (it’s part of the buyer’s due-diligence stack, alongside the general inspection). On VA loans, the seller traditionally paid because VA rules barred veteran buyers from paying the pest inspection fee — but a 2022 VA policy change now allows the veteran buyer to pay it in every state, so on VA deals it’s genuinely negotiable too, with many contracts still assigning it to sellers out of habit. Whoever pays, the report itself protects the buyer and lender — it’s the document that says the house isn’t quietly being eaten.
By Loan Type, In Practice
- VA: the inspection is REQUIRED in Ohio on purchases. Pre-2022 rules put the fee on the seller; since the 2022 change the buyer MAY pay. Practical Dayton reality: it lands wherever the contract puts it, and agents who don’t know about the change still write it seller-side by default.
- FHA: required only when the appraiser notes evidence or conditions — then it’s typically buyer-paid as part of inspections, though seller concessions can absorb it.
- Conventional: ordered by choice or lender request; buyer-paid by custom, negotiable always.
- Cash: nobody requires it — which is exactly when a smart buyer orders it anyway, because no underwriter is watching their back.
- New construction: often skipped (“it’s new”) — see our pretreatment-clock explainer for why that logic has a shelf life.
Why This Argument Retired Itself
Here’s the part both agents can read aloud at the 9 p.m. impasse: our WDI inspection is $99 flat — lender-ready NPMA-33, next business day, with pay-at-closing available so the fee just rides the settlement statement of whichever side the contract assigns. The Dayton market range for this inspection runs roughly $75–$150; at those numbers, the negotiation costs more than the line item. We’ve watched deals spend twenty minutes of professional time arguing about a $99 fee attached to a six-figure transaction. Assign it, book it, move on — the realtor booking link takes one minute, and the report protects everyone regardless of whose column it lands in.
Three Edge Cases Worth Knowing
The re-inspection after treatment (when a report finds activity and work is done): customarily paid by whoever paid for the treatment — almost always the seller, since active infestation is a seller-side condition issue. The walked-away deal: the inspection fee is earned when the inspection happens; if the sale dies, the fee doesn’t — and the report typically belongs to whoever paid, which matters when the house re-lists. Seller pre-listing inspections: seller-paid by definition and increasingly common — a current clean report marketed with the listing converts the buyer’s scariest unknown into a selling point, a strategy our Centerville guide covers in depth.
Mid-contract and need the answer to be somebody else’s problem by tomorrow? Book the $99 inspection — either side can pay now or at closing. Serving Dayton and all of Montgomery, Greene, Miami, Clark, Warren, Butler, Preble, and Darke counties.
For Agents: Make This Answer Part of Your Listing Kit
The agents who never have the 9 p.m. argument handled it at contract: a line in the offer assigning the WDI (either side), the booking link saved on the phone, and the inspection ordered inside the first three days of the contingency instead of after the appraiser forces the issue. Our whole realtor program is built around that rhythm — flat pricing, next-business-day service, same-day PDFs, and city-by-city local guides for every market from Oakwood’s attorney-read files to Xenia’s rural parcels. The who-pays question deserves thirty seconds at contract and zero minutes at closing week; this page exists so you can send a link instead of an explanation.
Frequently Asked Questions
Who pays for a termite inspection in Ohio — buyer or seller?
It follows the contract. Custom: buyer pays on conventional and FHA deals (part of due diligence); on VA loans the seller traditionally paid, but a 2022 VA policy change now lets the veteran buyer pay, making it negotiable everywhere. Whatever the purchase contract says, wins.
Is a termite inspection required to sell a house in Ohio?
Not by state law — it’s required by VA financing on purchases, ordered case-by-case on FHA/conventional when appraisals raise questions, and optional (but wise) on cash deals. The requirement follows the loan, not the property.
How much does a termite inspection cost in Ohio?
Dayton-market range runs about $75–$150. Ours is $99 flat on the lender-ready NPMA-33, next business day, payable at booking or on the settlement statement — which is why we tell agents the who-pays argument now costs more than the inspection.
Can the buyer pay for the termite inspection on a VA loan?
Yes — since a 2022 VA policy change, veteran buyers may pay the pest inspection fee in all states (previously prohibited). Many Ohio contracts still assign it seller-side out of pre-2022 habit; either assignment is now valid.
Who pays for termite treatment if the inspection finds activity?
Negotiable, but custom is firmly seller-side: active infestation is a property-condition issue, like a roof leak. The re-inspection that clears the file afterward customarily rides with whoever paid for treatment.
Does the inspection fee get refunded if the deal falls through?
No — the fee is earned when the inspection happens. The report generally belongs to whoever paid it, which matters at re-listing: a seller who paid holds a current report to market; a buyer who paid takes their answer to the next house.
Should sellers get a termite inspection before listing?
Increasingly, yes — a seller-paid pre-listing WDI turns the buyer’s biggest unknown into a documented selling point and strips the contingency of renegotiation leverage. At $99 it’s the cheapest staging expense in the transaction.
Who orders the termite inspection?
Either agent, either party — whoever the contract tasks. Around Dayton it’s usually the buyer’s agent mid-contingency; our realtor link books it in one minute with pay-now or pay-at-closing, and the report PDFs to every party named.