By Core 4 Insurance Team · Licensed Florida Insurance Agency · Miramar, FL
Roof, electrical, plumbing, HVAC — and a carrier deciding whether your house is a risk they want. Most Florida insurers require one on homes 20 years and older. Here is what actually fails one, what each fix costs, and why a decline from one carrier is not the market’s answer.
You're buying an older Florida home, or shopping a new policy on the one you've got, and the carrier says they need a 4-point inspection first. Now you're wondering what they're looking for and what happens if your house doesn't measure up.
Here's the honest version, including the five things that actually cause failures and roughly what each costs to fix.
If you're also chasing discounts, the 4-point's counterpart is the wind mitigation inspection — different form, different purpose, and worth getting done at the same visit.
What is a 4-point inspection?
The short answer: A focused report on four systems — roof, electrical, plumbing and HVAC — that insurers use to decide whether they'll write or renew a policy on an older home.
An inspector spends 30 to 45 minutes looking at four specific things, notes the age and condition of each, takes photos, and sends the report to the carrier. Cost is typically $75 to $200.
The most useful thing to understand is what the inspector is not doing.
The four systems aren't arbitrary either. They're the four most likely to cause an expensive claim.
Roof
Age, material, condition and estimated remaining life. This is the one that sinks the most applications in Florida.
Electrical
Panel brand and type, wiring material, amperage, grounding, GFCI protection where required.
Plumbing
Supply line material, drain lines, water heater age, and any evidence of active or past leaks.
HVAC
System age, type and condition. Usually the least troublesome of the four, but aging units get flagged.
When do I need one?
The short answer: Most Florida carriers require one on homes 20 years or older before writing a new policy. Some start at 15. Citizens requires it at 30 years.
The threshold isn't set by the state, which is why the answer changes depending on who you ask. It's each carrier's own underwriting rule.
| Situation | Usually required? |
|---|---|
| New policy, home 20+ years old | Yes — this is the common trigger |
| New policy with Citizens, home 30+ years | Yes — Citizens uses a 30-year threshold |
| New policy, home under 15 years old | Rarely, unless a specific system raises a concern |
| Renewing your existing policy, same home | Usually not |
| Switching carriers on an older home | Yes — expect one |
Thresholds are carrier underwriting rules, not Florida law, and they change. Confirm the requirement with the specific carrier before scheduling.
This matters more than it used to. As Florida's market tightened, carriers moved away from assuming an older home was fine and toward verifying it. If you haven't shopped your policy in several years, expect to be asked for one now even if you weren't before.
What actually fails a 4-point inspection?
The short answer: Five things account for most failures — an aging roof, Federal Pacific or Zinsco panels, aluminum branch wiring, polybutylene pipe, and an old HVAC. Four of the five are age-related and predictable.
This is the section worth reading before you schedule anything, because most of these you can identify yourself in about ten minutes.
| Issue | Why carriers flag it | Typical fix |
|---|---|---|
| Roof over 15–20 years | Limited remaining life and elevated claim risk. The single most common reason for a decline. | Replacement, or in some cases a roofer's certification of remaining life |
| Federal Pacific Stab-Lok or Zinsco panel | Documented failure histories and fire risk. Many carriers decline outright. | Panel replacement, roughly $1,500–$3,000 |
| Aluminum branch wiring | Common in late-1960s and early-1970s homes. Connections loosen and overheat. | Full replacement, or approved pigtailing at every connection |
| Polybutylene plumbing | Gray plastic supply pipe installed roughly 1978–1995, with a documented failure record. | Whole-home repipe, roughly $4,000–$10,000 |
| HVAC over 15 years | Aging systems get flagged, though this is often the most negotiable of the five. | Replacement, or a current condition certification |
Cost ranges are general industry figures for planning purposes, not quotes. Actual pricing varies by home, region and contractor. Carrier acceptance of workarounds like pigtailing or roof certifications differs by company.
What happens if my home fails?
The short answer: Usually not an outright refusal everywhere — it means that carrier won't write it as-is. Other carriers have different appetites, and some issues have workarounds.
A failed 4-point feels final. It usually isn't. Three things are generally true:
What we'd caution against is treating a single decline as the market's answer. In our experience across Broward and Miami-Dade, homes that got turned down by the first carrier frequently place fine somewhere else — sometimes at a comparable rate.
How do I prepare for one?
The short answer: Make everything accessible, gather your dates, and fix the obvious stuff first. An inspector who can't see a system has to report that they couldn't.
Simple, and it genuinely affects the outcome:
How is this different from a wind mitigation inspection?
The short answer: A 4-point decides whether you can get covered. Wind mitigation decides how much you pay. Different forms, different purposes, and Florida law treats them very differently.
People conflate these constantly, and the distinction is worth being clear about.
| 4-point | Wind mitigation | |
|---|---|---|
| Purpose | Can you be insured? | How much do you pay? |
| What it examines | Roof, electrical, plumbing, HVAC | Hurricane-resistant construction features |
| Required by | Carrier underwriting rules | Nothing — but it's how you claim a discount |
| Backed by Florida law? | No | Yes — insurers must offer the discounts |
| Effect on premium | None directly | Reduces the windstorm portion |
| How long it lasts | Roughly 2–5 years, varies by carrier | Five years |
Put simply: the 4-point is a gate you have to get through. The wind mitigation form is money you leave on the table by skipping.
The bottom line on Florida 4-point inspections
A 4-point inspection is a 30-to-45-minute look at four systems, costing $75 to $200, that most Florida carriers require on homes 20 years and older. It isn't a home inspection and shouldn't be treated as one — it's a carrier deciding whether your house is a risk they want.
Five issues cause most failures, and four of them you can check yourself before an inspector ever shows up: the roof's age, the brand on your electrical panel, whether your supply pipes are gray plastic, and how old the HVAC is. Knowing which one you have is the difference between a $2,000 problem and a $10,000 one.
And a failure at one carrier is not the market's verdict. Appetites differ, certifications sometimes substitute for replacement, and Citizens exists for homes the private market won't take. Finding the company that will write your specific house is exactly what an independent agency does.
Core 4 has served more than 14,000 Florida clients since 2014 and compares 120+ carriers on every quote. If your home has been declined, or you're bracing for an inspection on an older property, call (954) 420-1501 or come by 3488 Red Road in Miramar. Walk-ins welcome, English or Spanish, and we'll tell you straight where it's likely to place.
About this guide
Who wrote it. Written and reviewed by the Core 4 Insurance team — licensed Florida insurance producers based in Miramar, Broward County. Core 4 is an independent agency, so when one carrier declines a home we can take it to the rest of the market rather than stopping there.
Where we work. Statewide across Florida, with our office and deepest local experience in Broward, Miami-Dade and Palm Beach counties.
How we source it. Statutory and program claims trace to the Florida Statutes, Chapter 627 and the Florida Office of Insurance Regulation. Repair cost ranges are general industry figures for planning, not quotes. Figures are dated inline and reviewed quarterly.
Regulator. Core 4 Insurance is licensed by the Florida Office of Insurance Regulation.
Last reviewed by the Core 4 Insurance Team on July 24, 2026. Carrier underwriting rules change frequently and vary by company — we re-verify this guide quarterly. For the broader picture, see our flagship Florida Homeowner’s Insurance Guide.