The Florida 4-Point Inspection, Explained

A 4-point inspection is a condition report on four systems — roof, electrical, plumbing, and HVAC — that Florida insurers request before writing or renewing a policy on an older home. It is not a home inspection, it is not a pass/fail grade on your house, and it does not assign a value. It answers one question for an underwriter: are these four systems in serviceable condition and unlikely to cause a loss in the near term?

When you will be asked for one

There is no single statewide rule. Each carrier sets its own trigger. Citizens Property Insurance, the state-created insurer, requires a 4-point on applications for homes more than 20 years old. You will usually hear about it in one of three moments: buying an older home, switching carriers, or receiving a renewal notice that asks for documentation before the policy continues.

If your agent asks for a 4-point, ask two follow-up questions immediately: how recent does the report have to be, and which credentials will you accept. Answers vary by carrier, and booking the wrong inspector wastes a week.

What the inspector actually looks at

Roof

Age, covering type, visible condition, and remaining service life. The inspector records what the roof is made of, estimates how old it is, and notes active leaks, missing or lifted material, exposed fasteners, failed flashing, and any sign of prior repair. On a tile or metal roof they will note the underlayment situation where it is visible, because in Florida that is what usually fails first.

Electrical

Panel brand and amperage, wiring type, and hazards. Certain historic panel brands and wiring types draw immediate underwriter attention regardless of whether the system currently works.

Plumbing

Supply and drain material, water heater age, and evidence of leaks. Polybutylene supply lines are one of the pipe types the 4-point form asks the inspector to record.

HVAC

Age, type, and whether it is operational, plus any sign of water intrusion around the air handler.

What actually fails a roof on a 4-point

In our experience the roof is often the section that causes an insurer to push back, and it is rarely a surprise. The recurring findings:

• Not enough remaining life. Many carriers want to see a meaningful number of years left. A shingle roof near the end of its service life (HUD's planning tables use an average of 20 years for asphalt shingle) will draw questions even if it is not leaking.
• Active leaks or interior staining. Any evidence water is currently getting in.
• Failed or missing flashing. The detail work at valleys, penetrations and transitions, where leaks often begin.
• Prior repairs done badly. Mismatched patches, sealant used as a permanent fix, exposed fasteners.
• Deck or structural concerns visible from the attic — sagging, daylight, prior water damage.

None of those require a full replacement by default. A documented repair, done properly and photographed, resolves a surprising number of them.

Who can perform and sign one

Requirements are set by the carrier. Citizens, for example, accepts a verifiable Florida-licensed professional such as a general, residential or building contractor, a building code inspector, or a home inspector. This is where the distinction matters for a roofing company: a roofing-only contractor licence (CCC) does not carry the same scope as a building contractor licence (CBC). Universal Roof & Contracting holds CBC1258484 alongside CCC057165, which is why we can handle this work rather than referring it out.

Before you book anyone, confirm with your agent that they will accept that credential. It is a thirty-second call that prevents a rejected report.

How to prepare, and what it costs

Preparation is mostly access. Clear the path to the electrical panel, the water heater, the air handler, and the attic hatch. Have the roof's age handy if you know it, along with any permit records or invoices from prior work — documentation of a re-roof or a repair frequently resolves a question the inspector would otherwise have to flag as unknown.

Pricing varies by inspector and region, and anyone quoting a firm number without knowing the property is guessing. What we will say plainly: the cost of the inspection is trivial compared with the cost of finding out at renewal that the roof needed work you did not know about.

If the roof section comes back with problems

Get the actual findings in writing with photographs, then get a roofing opinion on what those findings mean. There is a wide gap between "this roof needs targeted repairs and documentation" and "this roof needs replacing", and the inspection report alone rarely distinguishes them — that is not what it is designed to do.

Our inspection is free, and it comes back as photographs and a written condition report you keep either way. If repairs will resolve the finding, we will tell you that. If the roof genuinely is at the end of its life, you will see why in the photos rather than being asked to take our word for it.