A Wood Infestation Inspection Report that comes back clean on a 1948 traditional off West Paces Ferry feels like the house has passed its test. Everyone in the transaction tends to read it that way. The buyer relaxes. The lender checks a box. The closing attorney moves it into the file with the other cleared items.
That reading gives the report credit it was never built to earn. The Official Georgia Wood Infestation Inspection Report, known in practice as Form 100, is a single-day pest inspection. It says nothing about the cast iron under the slab, the wiring behind the plaster, or the grading that has been quietly moving water toward the foundation for six decades. In Buckhead's older streets, the gap between what actually gets checked and what actually fails is where the expensive surprises live.
What Form 100 Actually Covers
Form 100 is prepared under rules set by the Georgia Structural Pest Control Commission and documents visible evidence of five wood destroying organisms: subterranean termites, powder post beetles, wood boring beetles, dry wood termites, and wood decaying fungus. The inspector cannot move furniture, open walls, or perform any destructive testing. Whatever is visible and accessible on the day of the visit is the entire scope of the report.
Georgia law does not require this report for a home sale. It became standard practice because most lenders require it, and because Georgia carries the country's heaviest subterranean termite pressure, which is why the Georgia Pest Control Association and most closing attorneys treat it as non-negotiable regardless of what a purchase contract technically says. The report must be dated within 30 days of closing, and it carries a separate 90-day warranty period during which the issuing company will treat any newly discovered infestation of the five covered organisms at no cost.
That is the entire job of the document. Here is what falls outside it:
| Covered by Form 100 | Not covered by Form 100 |
|---|---|
| Subterranean termites | Electrical wiring, including knob-and-tube |
| Powder post beetles | Plumbing material and age |
| Wood boring beetles | Foundation settlement |
| Dry wood termites | Drainage and grading |
| Wood decaying fungus | Structural integrity beyond visible wood damage |
| Conditions conducive to infestation | Mold and rodents |
A seller can hold a spotless termite letter and a corroding drain line at the same time. Both things are true. Only one of them is written down.
The Four Systems Actually Aging Out
Most of Buckhead's oldest housing stock, the estates and traditional homes built from the 1920s through the 1960s along corridors like West Paces Ferry and Habersham Road, is now old enough that its original mechanical systems are inside or past their expected service life. A house built in 1955 near Chastain is roughly 70 years old today. That number matters more than it sounds like it should.
- Cast iron drain lines carry a typical service life of 50 to 75 years. A drain installed in 1955 sits squarely in the window where flaking, internal scale buildup, and hairline cracking are expected findings, not surprises.
- Galvanized steel supply pipes run 40 to 70 years before they typically need replacement. Any original 1950s or 1960s installation has already met or exceeded that window, which shows up first as declining water pressure rather than a visible leak.
- Knob-and-tube wiring still turns up in some pre-1950 Buckhead interiors. A growing number of insurers surcharge or decline coverage on homes with active knob-and-tube circuits until an electrician replaces or certifies them, which can slow a closing far more than any pest report ever will.
- None of these three items appear anywhere on Form 100.
Why the Land Itself Works Against Older Pipe
Buckhead sits along a ridge that separates the Peachtree Creek watershed from the Nancy Creek watershed, with rolling terrain and heavy tree canopy across its oldest blocks. That combination shows up on inspection reports in a fairly predictable way: root intrusion into older clay sewer laterals, grading patterns designed for a much lower level of upstream development than exists today, and slow foundation movement that stresses underground piping in a way newer construction rarely experiences. This isn't a defect in any one house. It's closer to a regional condition that the neighborhood's oldest streets carry more of than its newer construction does, since Buckhead's plumbing trade routinely describes working across galvanized, cast iron, and mixed-material systems as simply part of servicing homes built before 1970 in this part of the city.
What This Actually Changes at the Table
For a seller with a pre-1970 home, the smart move is ordering Form 100 early in the listing process without treating it as the whole story. A sewer scope done before you list turns a possible late-stage renegotiation into a known cost you can address on your own terms, or price into the listing with full transparency.
For a buyer, a clean Form 100 is good news about wood-destroying organisms and nothing else. The due diligence that actually protects you on an older Buckhead property looks different:
- Request the seller's full pest control treatment history, not just the current Form 100
- Ask whether an existing termite bond is active and confirm with the pest control company whether it transfers to a new owner
- Add a sewer scope to your inspection period on any home built before 1970, especially on lots with mature trees near the drain line
- Ask directly whether the wiring has been updated, and if the seller cannot confirm it, budget for an electrician's evaluation before closing rather than after
- Treat drainage and grading on a sloped, older Buckhead lot as a foundation question, not a landscaping one
None of these add-ons are expensive relative to what they protect against. They are simply outside the one document most people assume is doing that job.
Is a termite letter required by Georgia law? No. No Georgia statute requires a Wood Infestation Inspection Report for a home sale. It became standard practice because most lenders require it and because Georgia carries the heaviest subterranean termite pressure in the country, so the pest control industry and most closing attorneys treat it as customary regardless of loan type.
Does a clean Form 100 mean the plumbing and electrical are fine? No. Form 100 only documents visible evidence of five wood destroying organisms, prior treatment history, and conditions that could invite future infestation. It says nothing about pipe material, wiring type, or foundation condition.
How long is a termite letter good for? It must be dated within 30 days of closing to satisfy most lenders, and it separately carries a 90-day warranty period during which the issuing company will treat any newly discovered infestation of the five covered organisms at no charge.
Can an existing termite bond transfer to a new owner? Often yes. Buyers should ask directly whether the home carries an active bond and confirm transferability with the pest control company before closing, since a transferable bond means ongoing inspections and retreatment are already paid for.
If you're buying or selling an older home in Buckhead and want a clear-eyed read on what a due diligence period should actually include, Robert Peterson has spent nearly two decades negotiating exactly these transactions across Buckhead's oldest streets. Let's Connect.
