A four-point inspection is a limited insurance underwriting inspection that checks the condition of four systems in a home: the roof, the electrical panel and wiring, the plumbing, and the HVAC system. Florida insurers order it, not the buyer or seller, and it exists to answer one question for the underwriter: is this house too much of a risk to insure as-is. It is not a full home inspection, and it will not tell you about your foundation, your landscaping drainage, or your kitchen cabinets.
Most Florida homeowners run into this requirement when their home passes a certain age — insurers commonly draw the line somewhere between 25 and 30 years old, though the exact cutoff varies by carrier — or when a home is changing hands and the new owner is shopping for a policy. If your roof, wiring, plumbing, or HVAC comes back flagged, you can lose your quote, get a non-renewal notice, or be handed a list of required repairs with a deadline attached.
The inspector, usually a licensed home inspector or contractor, spends far less time in your house than a standard 4-hour buyer's inspection — often under an hour. They are looking for specific red flags on each of the four systems:
The inspector fills out a standard four-point form, often with photos, and submits it to the insurance company or your agent. Underwriters then decide whether to bind coverage as-is, require repairs first, charge a higher premium, or decline the policy outright. There is no pass/fail grade printed on the form — the outcome depends entirely on how that particular carrier weighs what was found.
Four-point inspections aren't unique to Florida, but they show up here far more often and carry more weight than in most other states, for reasons tied directly to the building stock and the climate.
Florida's insurance market has been under sustained pressure for years, with several carriers leaving the state or tightening underwriting standards, and the remaining insurers lean hard on four-point results to manage risk on older homes. A roof that would raise no concern in a drier, cooler climate is judged differently here because Gulf Coast humidity, intense UV exposure, and wind-driven rain age asphalt shingles faster than the manufacturer's rated lifespan suggests. Add salt air corrosion for anything within a few miles of the coast — Clearwater, St. Petersburg, and parts of Sarasota included — and metal flashing, fasteners, and electrical components can show wear well before a home reaches the age where inspections usually get triggered inland.
The Florida Building Code has also been rewritten multiple times since the 1990s, largely in response to hurricane damage, and each revision raised wind-resistance and installation standards for roofing, siding, and window systems. A roof installed to 1998 code and a roof installed to current code are not comparable products, even if both look intact from the ground. Inspectors and underwriters know this, which is part of why roof age carries so much weight on the four-point form here.
It's worth being clear about a common point of confusion: a four-point inspection is not the same as a wind mitigation inspection. The four-point determines whether your home is insurable at all or under what conditions. The wind mitigation inspection is a separate, optional report that documents hurricane-resistant features — roof-to-wall connections, roof shape, opening protection, roof covering compliance with current wind ratings — and can earn you a premium discount. Many homeowners order both at the same time since an inspector is already on the roof, but they serve different purposes and go to different parts of your policy.
If your policy renewal notice or a new mortgage application mentions a four-point inspection, don't wait until the deadline to think about your roof. Pull your roof's permit history or ask a contractor to estimate its remaining age before the inspection happens, not after. If the roof is within a few years of the range where carriers typically balk, get a professional opinion on whether a repair buys you meaningful time or whether replacement is the more honest answer — a patched roof that still fails the next inspection cycle is money spent twice.
For the roof specifically, ask any contractor you're considering for documentation you can hand to an insurer: manufacturer specs, the wind rating installed, and permit close-out paperwork. Alpine Exteriors provides that paperwork on every roofing, siding, and window job in the Tampa Bay, St. Petersburg, Clearwater, Sarasota, and Orlando area specifically because it's what homeowners need later for insurance, not just for the job itself. A siding or window replacement done to current Florida Building Code standards can also help on the four-point and wind mitigation reports, since deteriorated siding and old, non-impact windows are things inspectors do note, even if they're not one of the four headline systems.
If the electrical, plumbing, or HVAC items are the concern instead, get a licensed electrician, plumber, or HVAC contractor to look at the specific flagged item before the inspection, not the whole system if it isn't necessary — full system replacement is expensive, and insurers are usually reacting to specific known-bad components (aluminum wiring, polybutylene pipe, a 25-year-old water heater) rather than demanding everything be new. Ask your insurance agent directly what would satisfy the underwriter; agents see these forms constantly and can often tell you in advance what will and won't fly with a particular carrier.
There's no single statewide rule. Many carriers start requiring it somewhere around 25 to 30 years of age, but some ask for it sooner on coastal or high-value properties, and a few carriers have their own thresholds entirely. Ask your insurance agent for your specific carrier's cutoff rather than assuming.
The homeowner typically pays, whether it's a new purchase or a renewal on an existing policy. Costs vary by inspector and region, but a stand-alone four-point in the Tampa Bay area commonly runs somewhere in the range of a small home inspection fee, less if bundled with a wind mitigation inspection at the same visit.
Yes, and it's almost always the better order of operations. Once a four-point form documents a failing roof or knob-and-tube wiring, that finding is in writing and tends to drive the underwriting decision. Addressing known issues beforehand — especially roof age, which is the most common Florida flag — gives you a cleaner report and more leverage on price.
Not usually immediately. Insurers typically issue a notice with a repair deadline, often 30 to 60 days, rather than an instant cancellation. But treat that window as real: missing it can mean non-renewal, and shopping for a new policy with an open four-point flag on record is considerably harder than fixing the issue first.
A four-point inspection has a way of turning a routine renewal into a scramble, especially when the roof turns out to be the problem. If you're in Tampa Bay, St. Petersburg, Clearwater, Sarasota, or Orlando and want an honest read on where your roof, siding, or windows stand before an insurer flags them for you, Alpine Exteriors can walk the property, tell you what's actually wearing out versus what's cosmetic, and put together documentation you can hand straight to your agent. Reach out for an on-site evaluation before your next renewal notice arrives, not after.