Per VA loan guidelines, one of the following, but not both, is required to satisfy the termite requirement on a VA purchase or cash-out refinance:
- Pest inspection with clear section 1 findings (section 1 items are active termite infestation, dry rot, fungus, or health and safety issues).
-OR-
- NPMA-33 form filled out by the pest inspector stating that there is no visible evidence of an active termite infestation.
The major difference is that the NPMA-33 form only requires evidence of no active termite infestation, and the NPMA-33 form does not ask about dry rot or fungus which are typical section 1 items on a pest inspection.
This means that if the lender is provided with an NPMA-33 form that states there is no active termite infestation, the NPMA-33 form is sufficient on its own. Underwriting will not need a copy of the pest inspection, nor will the lender require that other section 1 items be cleared.
A couple of disclaimers:
1. If the NPMA-33 form is provided to the lender in lieu of the full pest inspection, but the appraiser notes in the report that there is dry rot or fungus, those items may still be required to be repaired prior to close of escrow as appraisal repair conditions.
2. Please note some other lenders may have overlays that don’t allow for the use of the NPMA-33 form in lieu of providing the pest inspection. The lenders that we work with allow for the NPMA-33 form to be used as a standalone document to satisfy the termite requirement, but if you aren’t working with Solcosta Home Loans, please double-check with your loan officer just to be sure!
Anytime we have a VA buyer in contract at Solcosta Home Loans, we highly recommend that we are only provided with the NPMA-33 form and not the pest inspection. If the NPMA-33 form states that there is no active termite infestation, that is all we need to satisfy the termite requirement for our VA buyers!
