What Fails a 4-Point Inspection in Florida
The roof, electrical, plumbing and HVAC items that stop an insurer from writing a Florida policy, from Citizens' own form and rules, and how each one gets fixed.
A 4-point inspection looks at four systems: the roof, electrical, plumbing and HVAC. The insurer reads the report and decides whether it will write the policy. If something on it is unacceptable, the policy waits until it is fixed, and so does any closing that depends on it.
Citizens Property Insurance requires a 4-point for homes more than 20 years old. Its current form is Insp4pt 03 25, in use since March 20, 2025. Here is what that form and Citizens’ rules flag, system by system.
Roof
The form records the roof’s age and remaining useful life, and checks for cracking, curling, granule loss, exposed felt, missing or loose shingles or tiles, soft decking, hail damage and any sign of leaks in the attic or ceilings.
Citizens requires at least five years of remaining useful life to be documented for shingle roofs older than 25 years and tile, metal or similar roofs older than 50 years.
Under Fla. Stat. 627.7011, an insurer may not refuse to write or renew a policy solely because of roof age if the roof is under 15 years old. For an older roof, an inspection showing 5 or more years of useful life left has the same effect.
Electrical
The form asks about cloth wiring, active knob and tube, and aluminum branch wiring, plus the panel’s brand, model and age. It lists hazards including double taps, exposed or loose wiring, scorching, improper grounding, corrosion and wrongly sized breakers.
Citizens requires a minimum of 100 amps for new business. Single-strand aluminum branch circuit wiring is not acceptable. The accepted fixes are a copper rewire or COPALUM or AlumiConn connectors.
Plumbing
The form records the supply pipe material, including galvanized and polybutylene, and whether the home was repiped. Homes over 20 years old with polybutylene are not eligible for new Citizens homeowner policies. Active leaks and unrepaired water damage are also a problem.
The water heater needs a temperature and pressure relief valve, and the form now requires a photo of it.
HVAC
The form asks whether the system is in good working order and whether the air handler, condensate line or drain pan show signs of blockage or leaks.
How we fix the list
Roof, electrical, plumbing and HVAC each need a different license. We hold all five Florida trade licenses in house, so a report that fails across three systems is one scope and one crew. See 4-point repairs for how it works, and pay at closing if the house is under contract.
Common questions
When does a Florida home need a 4-point inspection?
Citizens Property Insurance requires one for homeowner, dwelling and mobile home applications on properties more than 20 years old. Private carriers set their own rules.
How old can the roof be?
Citizens requires documentation of at least five years of remaining useful life for shingle roofs older than 25 years and tile, metal or similar roofs older than 50 years.
Is aluminum wiring an automatic fail?
At Citizens, multi-strand aluminum wiring is acceptable and single-strand aluminum branch circuit wiring is not. The accepted fixes are a copper rewire or COPALUM or AlumiConn connectors.
Should repairs be done before applying for coverage?
Citizens says serious hazards or deficiencies, such as exposed wiring or active leaks, should be repaired before an application for coverage is submitted.
Replacing old pipe? See polybutylene pipe replacement. Trying to lower the premium once the policy is bound? See wind mitigation repairs.
