Four-Point Inspections in Florida: What Insurers Look For

The full picture

What a four-point inspection covers

The name describes the scope: four systems, each recorded by age, type and condition, on a form the insurer’s underwriters rely on. Citizens Property Insurance Corporation publishes a sample four-point inspection form, revised in March 2025 and still current as of October 2026. For Citizens, other reports must contain at least the same level of detail.

• Roof: covering material, age, remaining useful life, the last roofing permit date, visible damage, and signs of leaks in the attic or on ceilings.
• Electrical: breakers or fuses, amperage, panel brand, model and age, wiring type, and hazards such as double taps, scorching, corrosion, exposed wiring or wrong-size breakers.
• Plumbing: pipe materials, any re-piping, the water heater’s age and its temperature and pressure relief valve, and active or past leaks at fixtures and appliance connections.
• HVAC: whether heating and cooling are in good working order, the system’s age (with a photo of the dated manufacturer’s plate), the last service date, and any blockage or leaking at the air handler, condensate line or drain pan.

Photos are required, including each side of the house, each roof slope, the open electrical panel and every hazard noted. The Citizens form says the information is used to decide insurability and is not a warranty on any system. The state Insurance Consumer Advocate’s four-point inspection guide says the visit should generally take about an hour.

When Florida insurers ask for one

Which homes need a four-point inspection is largely up to each insurer’s underwriting rules. Citizens, the insurer created by the Legislature, says on its inspections page that it requires one on applications for properties more than 20 years old (as of October 2026). It lowered that line from 30 years, effective February 1, 2022, as announced in a December 2021 bulletin. Citizens’ FAQ says the requirement does not apply to its condominium and renter policies. Private insurers may use a different age, and some ask at renewal too.

Timing matters. The Insurance Consumer Advocate’s guide says a report generally must be dated within the 30 days before the application, but each insurer sets its own window, so ask your agent before you schedule.

Roofs get extra attention. Under section 627.7011(5), Florida Statutes, an insurer may not refuse to issue or renew a homeowners policy solely because the roof is less than 15 years old. For a roof at least 15 years old, the insurer must let you have it inspected by an authorized inspector, at your expense, before requiring replacement, and it may not refuse coverage solely because of age if that inspection shows at least five years of useful life left. Insurers can still decline for other lawful underwriting reasons. Citizens asks for documentation of at least five years of remaining life on soft roofs, such as shingles, older than 25 years and on hard roofs, such as tile or metal, older than 50 years (as of October 2026).

Who can sign a four-point inspection

Citizens accepts a form completed, signed and dated by a verifiable Florida-licensed professional, such as a general, residential or building contractor, a building code inspector, or a home inspector. A licensed tradesperson may sign only the section for their trade, so an electrician can certify the electrical portion but not the roof. For the roof-age inspection under section 627.7011, the statute’s list of authorized inspectors, each of whom must be approved by the insurer, also includes roofing contractors, professional engineers and architects.

Before you hire anyone, check the license with the Department of Business and Professional Regulation’s license search. Citizens says a form may not be accepted when the inspector’s Florida license is not active or cannot be verified.

On cost, the Insurance Consumer Advocate’s guide says a standalone four-point may typically run $100 to $300, or be folded into a package price with a full home inspection. Treat that as a broad range as of October 2026 and get written quotes.

Findings that can hold up coverage

Trouble usually means the report shows a hazard, a system not in good working order, or a material the insurer will not accept. Citizens’ form tells agents not to submit applications for homes with existing hazards or with electrical, heating or plumbing systems not in good working order. Items to watch for include:

• Electrical: single-strand aluminum branch wiring without documented repairs, cloth or knob-and-tube wiring, and hazards such as blowing fuses, over-fusing, loose wiring or improper grounding. Citizens wants separate proof of any aluminum wiring remediation, certified by a licensed electrician. Insurers set their own rules about older panels, so ask your agent.
• Plumbing: polybutylene piping, which Citizens’ FAQ says makes new-business applications on homes over 20 years old ineligible for its homeowners and dwelling policies (as of October 2026); a water heater without a relief valve; and any active leak, unrepaired water damage or sign of a past leak. Each insurer decides which other pipe types, such as galvanized steel, it accepts.
• Roof: little remaining life, missing or cracked tiles, curling shingles, soft decking, or ceiling stains that point to a leak.
• HVAC: a system that does not heat or cool properly, a clogged or leaking condensate line or drain pan, or a space heater used as the main heat source.

How it differs from a home inspection and a wind mitigation report

These three reports answer different questions.

• Full home inspection: Florida law describes it as a limited visual examination of a home’s readily accessible structure, electrical, HVAC, roof covering, plumbing, interior and exterior components, and site conditions that affect the structure (section 468.8311). It is written for you and covers far more; see what to expect during a South Florida home inspection.
• Four-point inspection: written for the insurer, to help decide insurability. It is not a substitute for a home inspection.
• Wind mitigation inspection: documents wind-resistance features, such as how the roof deck and roof are attached and how windows and doors are protected, on the state’s uniform mitigation verification form. Under section 627.711, insurers must accept that form from the inspectors the statute lists, and it is the basis for wind discounts. The Office of Insurance Regulation says the current version took effect April 1, 2026, and a completed form is valid for up to five years absent material changes or inaccuracies.

Using a four-point inspection when you buy or sell

Buyers. If you are financing, the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau notes that lenders typically require homeowners insurance as a condition of the loan. On an older home, the four-point often decides whether coverage is available and on what terms. Schedule it early in your inspection period and have an insurance agent review the results before that period ends. If it flags a problem, your options depend on your contract, so ask your agent and a Florida attorney about its deadlines.

Sellers. On a home more than 20 years old, a pre-listing four-point shows you early what a buyer’s insurer is likely to ask about, leaving time to repair, gather records, or price accordingly. Keep in mind that Florida courts have held that a home seller who knows of facts that materially affect value, that are not readily observable and are not known to the buyer, must disclose them, and an inspection report can make a problem known to you. Ask a Florida real estate attorney how that applies to your sale. Records that help an inspector and a buyer’s insurer include:

• The roof permit and its final inspection date
• Permits and invoices for any panel replacement, rewiring or re-pipe
• A licensed electrician’s certification of any aluminum wiring repairs
• The air conditioning installation date and recent service records

Our guide to renovations before selling can help you decide what is worth fixing first.