Florida 4-point inspection.
Older Florida homes usually need a 4-point before a carrier will write or renew. Check the record first: your roof age and code era are most of the verdict.
Pass it on paper first.
The roof decides most 4-points
Electrical, plumbing, and HVAC fail on specific defects, but the roof fails on age alone. A permit-dated roof inside its serviceable life removes the most common objection before the inspector arrives.
Fix the known deal-breakers
Polybutylene plumbing, certain legacy electrical panels, cloth wiring, and active leaks are the classic hard stops. If your home has one, remediating before the inspection beats explaining after.
Bring the paper trail
Permits for the roof, re-pipe, panel upgrade, or HVAC replacement let the inspector record documented ages instead of conservative guesses. Documented ages are almost always younger.
Four systems, one verdict.
What a 4-point inspection covers
A 4-point inspection is a carrier-ordered snapshot of the four systems that generate most homeowner claims: the roof, the electrical system, the plumbing, and the heating and cooling. It exists because insurers writing older Florida homes want evidence that the big four are functional, updated, and not near failure before they take on the risk. Unlike a wind-mitigation inspection, which can only help you, a 4-point is pass-or-explain: findings can mean conditions, exclusions, or a declination.
System by system
- Roof. The inspector records the covering, its age, and remaining life estimate, and photographs the condition. Age is the dominant factor: an asphalt-shingle roof in its late teens draws scrutiny regardless of appearance. A county permit that dates a replacement is the strongest evidence you can hand over.
- Electrical. Panel brand and capacity, wiring type, and visible hazards. Certain legacy panels and aluminum or cloth branch wiring are frequent hard stops until remediated.
- Plumbing. Supply-line material and the water heater's age. Polybutylene supply lines are the classic Florida problem child; copper, CPVC, and PEX read clean.
- HVAC. Age and function of the system, and whether the home has central heat and cool at all. Very old condensers invite conditions even when they still run.
Why the roof is the real exam
Three of the four systems fail on identifiable defects that a licensed trade can repair. The roof is different: it fails on age, and age is not repairable, only replaceable. That is why the address lookup above leads with the permit-backed roof age. If the record shows a roof past the mid-teens with no replacement permit, plan on the roof question dominating your 4-point, and consider whether a replacement before shopping changes your whole insurance posture. Florida law also gives homeowners a protection worth knowing: carriers generally cannot refuse to write or renew a home solely because of roof age when the roof has at least five years of useful life remaining, which makes an inspector's remaining-life opinion, and your documentation, decisive.
How to prepare, in an afternoon
Pull your permit history before the inspector does. Confirm the roof, any re-pipe, panel work, and HVAC replacements all show permits with final inspections. Clear access to the attic, the panel, and the water heater. If you know a system has a named defect, get a licensed repair quote in hand; carriers respond better to a problem with a plan than to a surprise. Then use the result above as your checklist: it already shows the roof age on record, the code era, and whether the 4-point is likely to be required at all.
Public records, not guesswork.
Free, no signup, and we don’t sell your data.
We match it to the county property record and its permit history.
Roof permits date the roof; the construction year sets the building-code era for wind features.
FEMA flood zones, the Florida wind-speed map, and evacuation zones overlay the parcel location.
No. It is a records-based assessment of the factors Florida insurers weigh: roof age, wind and flood exposure, 4-point likelihood, and wind-mitigation features. It shows where you stand before you talk to a carrier or agent.
County permit and assessor records, FEMA flood maps, the Florida Building Code wind-speed map, and county evacuation zones. Permit-backed roof ages are flagged high confidence; everything else is labeled as an estimate.
No. The lookup is free, needs no signup, and the address you type is not sold or shared.
There is no statute that requires it; carriers set the trigger. In practice most Florida insurers, including Citizens, ask for one on older homes, commonly around thirty years and up, and some ask earlier for new business.
The visit typically runs thirty minutes to an hour. Most carriers treat the report as current for about a year, so time it close to when you shop or renew.
No. A buyer’s home inspection covers the whole property in depth. The 4-point covers only roof, electrical, plumbing, and HVAC, and only to answer one question: is each system functional and insurable today?