[Problems & Solutions] Answers to your tough questions

What do I say?

Q: Just so I get this straight...when is it appropriate in an inspection for wood-destroying insects to list damage and possibly "opine" on that damage? We use the NPCA-1 form.

A: I will make some comments here that may conflict with some state forms currently in use. The form you use covers this topic nicely (I believe) and its revision, which is now in the works, does as well.

In short, when an inspector sees visible damages from a wood-destroying insect (WDI), he/she has two things to note on the report: 1.) State and list area(s) where the evidence has been found (seen) and 2.) Determine what caused that evidence. Pest management professionals also may have to say whether the insects are active (at present that is also an option on the NPCA-1 report but it will change in the future). Notice I did not say anything about damage.

Although the NPCA-1 form has a listing for damage, damage is just evidence that something has been eating or nesting in the wood. In other words, the wood is damaged to some extent. My advice always has been to never say how bad that damage is or speculate on whether it needs repair. Unless your company is in the business of repairing damage, stay away from this opinion.

The NPCA-1 form states clearly in a couple of places that this report is not a damage report and that if evidence is found there is no warranty or guarantee that there is not hidden damage in areas that we cannot see.

In some states, damage is not listed as a separate section on the report form, only evidence. The pest management professionals in those states felt that mentioning damage on a report would alarm people and was an open invitation for litigation. My experience is that mentioning damage as evidence is part of our expertise, otherwise why do we spend so much time talking about it? And there are certainly enough statements on all these forms to make it clear they are not damage reports. Does this stop lawsuits? No. But it sure has protected pest management professionals who fill out the report correctly.

As soon as you speculate you open the door. A good motto I remember is, "A closed mouth gathers no feet."

The author is president of George Rambo Consulting Services, Central, S.C. Fax questions to him at 864/654-2447 or via e-mail at grambo@giemedia.com.