Anxious about my upcoming 4 point inspection

Hi everyone, to start I’m not an inspector, just found this useful forum googling and have read most of the threads related to four-point inspections. I’m asking here to see if I can get some insights and peace of mind for my upcoming four-point inspection for insurance since my current carrier won’t renew after May of this year.

I own a rental SFH in South Florida (Broward). House is in fairly good shape, built in 1980, tite roof built with permit in Nov 2009 and permit closed in Feb 2010, and one portion of the roof is flat (ugh). No leaks, no standing water ever since roofers built a drain in the middle of the flat roof and still performs well. Plumbing all work, in 2023 we had to bypass some of the plumbing through the ceiling with PEX, plumber didn’t pull permit for this, so I have about 50% copper pipes behind the walls and 50% PEX in the attic.

AC is from 2012, and water heater is from 2018.

My anxiety comes from if anything weird would make the house completely uninsurable, I don’t mind paying a higher premium due to the roof being 14 years old or anything else, not sure how this is going to play out considering the insurance market in Florida.

Am I overreacting ?

Thanks!

Get a 4 Point to see what is going on.

Well, I have one scheduled, just trying to see if there is a possibility that all carriers would deny coverage and that I’m stuck with an uninsurable house. Not sure how it works in the backend.

You won’tknow until you get the inspection done.
There is a very wide variance of what gets reported on the 4 point.
Relax, deal with whatever shows up.

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There are a couple things you can do to make the process easier.

Clear out some space around any under sink plumbing.
Same for any valves you have in the home. Toilets, washer, slop sink, etc.
Make sure the water heater is reasonably accessible.
Make sure the main electrical panel has a clear area in front of it.
Make sure your main electrical panel has good labeling. Some times the labels on each branch circuit fade off.
If you have paperwork/permits from your last roof, provide it. You don’t want to get a “no doc” on the roof.

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Thanks, house right now is vacant, in between tenants, so all of that is accesible. Permits are all online, I can pull that up for the inspector.

I guess my question is, can they deny coverage on a 14 year old roof, forcing me to replace it

You are not overreacting, you need to hire an actual inspector

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I did, just trying to gauge what to expect if the inspection find somethings terrible

The inspector will answer the question remaining useful life (years)
That will be a big factor if they offer coverage or not.

IMO the insurance industry should require 4 point inspections nationwide.

We can tell you what needs to be fixed or corrected. What we cannot do, is tell you what is insurable or not. Each carrier has their own parameters to determine coverage. Like everyone else has said - get the inspection. Fix anything that needs fixed and see what the insurance broker can find for you. At least then you know what you’re dealing with.

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Anyone who would advise you on line without viewing your home would not be able to give good advice

Jean Paul Arseneau
Inspect NB your Pro Sight Property Inspection affiliate member

Kevin, who would that benefit and how? I’m not familiar with the 4 point specifics.

IMO they would benefit all of us as home inspectors, and home buyers who may decline a whole house home inspection for one reason or another.

I’m not really familiar with them either Larry, other than that they’re driven by insurance companies.

I saw it mentioned in another thread that these particular inspections are spreading beyond the state of Florida, I hope that’s true.

[quote="lkage, post:15, topic:239424”]
[quote="kleonard, post:11, topic:239424”]
IMO the insurance industry should require 4 point inspections nationwide
[/quote]

Kevin, who would that benefit and how? I’m not familiar with the 4 point specifics.
[/quote]

[quote="Kevin Leonard, CPI/CMI, post:16, topic:239424, username:kleonard”]
they would benefit all of us as home inspectors, and home buyers who may decline a whole house home inspection for one reason or another.
[/quote]

Okay, but how would it benefit joe home owner?

I wonder if our insurance rates would go down or if only the insurance companies would benefit $-wise?

It would benefit the Joe Home Buyer that declines a whole house home inspection for one reason or another, because he would still be getting the 4 point as mandated by the insurance company, which could uncover a number of safety defects in the home.

I don’t think it would affect the insurance rates unless deficiencies were uncovered that the insurance company might consider a problem for them in the near future, as the home buyer or the one who seeks to be insured is the one who pays for the 4 point, but I could be wrong.

I’m still not understanding how something that would be unilaterally mandated by the insurance company would be a benefit to “joe home owner” not “joe home buyer”.

These deals here are all “as-is” with right to inspect & reject.
However, let’s say there’s a roof leak, double tap, etc.
Hey Mr. Seller! I know it’s as-is, if I cannot get a favorable 4 point, no insurance.
no insurance, no mortgage dead deal. PS… It’s NOT going away for the next deal.
Sellers usually do repairs.

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They can deny coverage for that, or virtually anything the deem relevant to their underwriting guidelines.

They can’t make you replace your roof, but they simply won’t write a policy (worst case).

If that happens, you shop policies like everyone else.

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Oh, okay. Maybe here’ where I’m trying to clarify…So, when Kevin states:

…he’s only really talking about a real estate transaction, not joe home owner renewing his annual policy, correct?

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