HOME BUYING
From Listings to Living
You are under contract on a 1990s house in St. Petersburg, with ten days left on your inspection period. Your insurance agent says they cannot quote the policy until they see two reports: a four-point inspection and a wind mitigation form. Your lender will not close without the policy. So the question becomes urgent: what is a 4 point inspection, and what happens if the house does not pass?
A 4-point inspection is a short report written for an insurance company, not for you. A licensed inspector records the age, type and condition of four systems: the roof, the electrical system, the plumbing and the heating and air conditioning (HVAC). The insurer uses it to decide whether it will cover an older home at all, and on what terms. In Florida, Citizens Property Insurance Corporation requires one for property owner, dwelling and mobile home applications on properties more than 20 years old, and private insurers set their own rules.
It is much narrower than a home inspection, and much cheaper. Kin Insurance's guide, updated June 2026, puts the typical 4-point inspection cost at $75 to $200. Its stakes are different too: a full inspection informs your purchase, while a 4-point report can decide whether you can get the insurance your lender requires.
Leevli Editorial Team
An insurance 4-point inspection feeds the insurer's underwriting. Kin's guide notes that older homes often have a higher risk of fire and water damage claims, so the insurer wants a licensed professional's record of what is in the house before it takes on the risk. The same guide says insurers typically require these inspections for homes more than 20 years old or in a high-risk market, but that it depends on the insurer and the location.
Citizens publishes its rule. Its inspections page says it "requires a four-point inspection for all property owner, dwelling and mobile home applications for properties more than 20 years old," performed by a Florida-licensed inspector who reports the age, type and condition of the wiring, heating and plumbing systems and the roof. Any serious hazards or deficiencies, "such as exposed wiring, active leaks or evidence of leaks," should be repaired before the application is submitted.
No law requires a 4-point inspection on its own. The requirement comes from the insurer, and the insurance requirement comes from your lender. Our guide to what hazard insurance is explains the lender's side, and whether you have to have homeowners insurance covers what happens when there is no mortgage. Outside Florida, ask your own insurer whether it uses a 4-point report; this guide describes Florida practice.
The Citizens 4-Point Inspection Form, marked "Sample Form Insp4pt 03 25," shows what an insurer wants recorded for each system. Citizens says this specific form is not required, but any other report submitted must include at least the same level of detail.
| System | What the form records | Hazards it asks about |
|---|---|---|
| Electrical | Breaker or fuse panel, total amps and whether they are sufficient, panel age and brand/model, wiring types | Cloth wiring, active knob and tube, branch circuit aluminum wiring, double taps, exposed or unsafe wiring, scorching, improper grounding, corrosion, over fusing |
| HVAC | Central air and heat, working order, date of last service, system age, photo of the dated manufacturer's plate | Wood-burning stove or central gas fireplace not professionally installed, space heater as primary heat, leaks or blockage at the air handler, condensate line or drain pan |
| Plumbing | Temperature and pressure relief valve on the water heater, pipe types, whether the home was re-piped, water heater age and location, condition of fixtures | Active or prior leaks; pipe types including galvanized, cast iron and polybutylene |
| Roof | Covering material, roof age, remaining useful life, last roofing permit, full or partial replacement | Cracking, curling, granule loss, exposed felt, missing or loose tabs or tiles, soft decking, hail damage, leaks in the attic or ceilings |
The form also sets minimum photos: each side of the house, each roof slope, the water heater, under-cabinet plumbing and exposed valves, the main panel with its door label, the panel with its cover off, and every hazard noted. With photos of each slope, the roof section can take the place of Citizens' separate Roof Inspection Form.
Single-strand aluminum wiring gets its own rule. The form asks whether connections were repaired with COPALUM crimps or AlumiConn connectors and requires separate documentation of any remediation, certified by a licensed electrician.
Citizens' instructions say the form must be completed, signed and dated by "a verifiable Florida-licensed professional," and give three examples:
A trade-specific licensed professional may sign only the section for their trade, so an electrician can sign the electrical section but not the roof. Citizens says a form may not be accepted if the right professional did not perform the inspection or if the professional's Florida license is not active or cannot be verified. Check the inspector's license before you book.
The agent has a role as well. The form's note to agents says the writing agent must review each 4-point form before submitting it, and that agents may not submit applications for properties with electrical, heating or plumbing systems not in good working order or with existing hazards or deficiencies.
As Kin's guide notes, there is no official pass or fail score. Citizens asks the inspector to certify whether each system is in "acceptable condition," which it defines as "working as intended" with "no visible hazards or deficiencies." In practice, a few findings come up again and again:
| Finding | What the rules say | Usual path forward |
|---|---|---|
| Older roof | Citizens requires proof of at least five years of remaining useful life for shingle or similar roofs older than 25 years, and tile, slate, clay, concrete or metal roofs older than 50 years | Roof inspection showing five or more years of life, or a full replacement before the policy is written |
| Active leak or evidence of leaks | Citizens says serious hazards such as active leaks should be repaired before applying | Repair, then document it |
| Exposed or unsafe wiring | Listed hazard on the form; agents may not submit applications with existing hazards | Licensed electrician repair |
| Single-strand aluminum branch wiring | Separate remediation documentation certified by a licensed electrician | Remediation such as COPALUM or AlumiConn repairs, with paperwork |
| Polybutylene supply pipes | Citizens said in an April 2022 bulletin that new-business risks over 20 years old with polybutylene piping are not insurable by Citizens | Re-piping before applying |
| Federal Pacific or Zinsco panel | Kin says many insurers will not insure homes with panels from these brands | Panel replacement, or a carrier that accepts it |
The polybutylene rule comes from a Citizens personal lines bulletin dated April 28, 2022. Citizens notes that its agent bulletins are kept for historical purposes and that current rules are in its underwriting manuals, so confirm with your agent before you plan around it.
Roof age is the most common sticking point, and Florida limits how insurers can use it. Under Florida Statutes 627.7011, an insurer may not refuse to issue or renew a homeowner's policy solely because of the age of a roof that is less than 15 years old. For a roof at least 15 years old, the insurer must let the homeowner get a roof inspection by an authorized inspector, at the homeowner's expense, before requiring replacement, and may not refuse coverage solely because of roof age if that inspection shows five or more years of useful life remaining. The rule applies to homeowners' policies issued or renewed on or after July 1, 2022, and not to mobile home policies.
In practice, the applicant arranges and pays for it. Citizens says some inspections are the property owner's responsibility to pay for while it pays for others, such as the underwriting field surveys it may order at no cost to the policyholder, and its form says underwriting relies on a report "obtained from the Florida licensed professional of your choice."
On price, Kin's guide, updated June 2026, puts a 4-point inspection at $75 to $200, varying with location, size and age, and says bundling it with a wind mitigation inspection may save money. Kin estimates 30 to 45 minutes on site, against two to four hours for a full home inspection. Our guide to the average home inspection cost covers the full inspection's price, and the guide to the house inspection fee covers when each fee is paid.
Citizens' inspections page does not state how long a 4-point report stays valid. Kin says most insurers treat one as valid for one year, so a report from the seller's last renewal may not work for your new policy. Ask your agent before you rely on an older report.
If you are buying, schedule the 4-point inside your inspection period, ideally with the same inspector doing the full inspection. A deficiency that blocks coverage is a negotiation issue for the seller, and it is much easier to raise before your contingency expires. The resulting premium also feeds your monthly payment; our guide to why your escrow goes up shows how insurance changes flow through.
| 4-point inspection | Full home inspection | |
|---|---|---|
| Written for | The insurer | The buyer |
| Purpose | Decide whether to insure and on what terms | Inform the purchase decision and negotiation |
| Scope | Roof, electrical, plumbing, HVAC | All readily accessible systems, from structure and grading to appliances and attic |
| Typical time on site (Kin) | 30 to 45 minutes | 2 to 4 hours |
| Typical cost | $75 to $200 (Kin, June 2026) | See our average cost guide |
The Citizens form states plainly that its information "is used to determine insurability and is not a warranty or assurance of the suitability, fitness or longevity of any of the systems inspected." It will not tell you about the foundation, the windows or the drainage. Use our home inspection checklist for the full picture, and do not treat a 4-point report as a reason to skip the full inspection; our guide to the property inspection waiver explains why no loan program waives that inspection for you.
Agents in Florida usually ask for a wind mitigation report alongside the 4-point. The difference is what it is for. The 4-point affects eligibility; the wind mitigation report affects price. It documents features such as roof-to-wall connections, roof deck attachment, roof shape and opening protection that can qualify the home for premium discounts.
If you are comparing older houses in Fort Lauderdale or Fort Myers, ask each seller for any existing wind mitigation form. A form still inside its five-year window and matching the house can shorten your path to a quote, though your insurer may verify it.
Condos split the four points between you and the association. Citizens' published rule names property owner, dwelling and mobile home applications; for a condo unit policy, ask your agent whether the carrier wants a unit-level report and how it handles the roof section, since the roof and structure belong to the association. Our guides to how much condo insurance you need and the condo association master insurance policy explain how the HO-6 and the master policy divide the risk, and condominium association insurance coverage walks through who pays for which loss.
Wind mitigation forms follow the building. Citizens lists the OIR-B1-1802 form for single-family homes, one-to-four-unit buildings including condominiums, and residential buildings of one to three stories, while condo unit owners seeking mitigation credits in buildings of four or more stories use the Building Type II and III Mitigation Inspection Form (MIT-BT II and III).
For a high-rise in Brickell, the building's own inspections matter more than anything inside your unit. Ask for the milestone inspection and structural integrity reserve study; our guide to the reserve study for a condo association shows how to read them. Owners in the building can tell you which carriers still write policies there; ask them on Ask a Resident. For coverage decisions on a specific home, a licensed Florida insurance agent is the right next step.
Insurability in Florida is local and changes fast, and residents know what their own 4-point reports turned up.
Listings show the property, but they rarely explain the lived reality around it. On Leevli, a mover can explore the city, review neighborhood and building information, and ask a verified resident the specific questions that remain unanswered. That human layer helps readers know what to investigate before signing a lease, making an offer, or choosing between two addresses.
It is a limited inspection of the roof, electrical system, plumbing and HVAC that an insurer uses to decide whether to cover an older home. A licensed inspector records each system's age, type and condition, with photos. The report goes to the insurance company and is not a substitute for the full inspection a buyer orders before closing.
Insurers do, mostly in Florida. Citizens Property Insurance requires one for property owner, dwelling and mobile home applications on properties more than 20 years old, and private carriers set their own age and market rules. Lenders do not order it, but they require insurance, so in practice the report can decide whether your loan closes.
Kin Insurance's guide, updated June 2026, puts the typical cost at $75 to $200, depending on location, size and age of the home. Bundling it with a wind mitigation inspection, or with your full home inspection, can lower the total. Get quotes from licensed inspectors, because an insurer may reject a report from someone whose license cannot be verified.
Citizens accepts forms completed, signed and dated by a verifiable Florida-licensed professional, giving as examples a general, residential or building contractor, a building code inspector or a home inspector. A trade-specific professional can sign only their own section, so an electrician can sign the electrical portion but not the roof or plumbing.
There is no formal grade, but insurers decline or require repairs for hazards. Common problems are active or past leaks, exposed or unsafe wiring, single-strand aluminum wiring without documented remediation, polybutylene supply pipes, Federal Pacific or Zinsco panels, and roofs past the insurer's age limit without five years of remaining life. Fix and document these before applying.
It depends on the insurer. Citizens' inspections page does not state a validity period, and Kin says most insurers treat a 4-point report as valid for one year. A wind mitigation form lasts longer: Florida's regulator says the OIR-B1-1802 form is valid for up to five years if the structure has no material changes and the form is accurate.
Audience and scope. The 4-point is written for the insurer and covers four systems in under an hour; Citizens' form says it is not a warranty of the systems' fitness or longevity. A full inspection is written for the buyer and covers the whole house, from structure and drainage to appliances. Most buyers of older Florida homes need both.
In Florida, not on age alone if the roof is under 15 years old. For an older roof, the insurer must allow an inspection by an authorized inspector, at your expense, before requiring replacement, and cannot refuse solely on age if the inspection shows five or more years of remaining life. Citizens separately sets its own roof documentation rules by roof type.
It depends on the carrier. Citizens' published rule names property owner, dwelling and mobile home applications, and the roof and structure of a condo building belong to the association. Ask your agent whether your HO-6 carrier wants a unit-level report. For wind discounts, condo owners in buildings of four or more stories use a different form than single-family homes.
Ordering it too late. Buyers often wait until after the full inspection, then learn days before closing that the insurer will not write the policy until the panel or plumbing is fixed. Schedule the 4-point and wind mitigation inside your inspection period, so any deficiency becomes a negotiation item with the seller instead of a closing delay.
This article is informational and does not constitute legal, financial, tax or insurance advice.
