Many are familiar with the term 4-point inspection but not many know what a 4-point inspection consists of or how it is different than a regular home inspection. There is a difference between a
home inspection and a 4-point inspection. A 4-point inspection is geared toward inspecting the home’s health in 4 specific areas: electrical, HVAC, roof, and plumbing, and often requested by insurance companies prior to issuing a policy for an older home or by curious homeowners who want to check the status of some of the more important systems of their home. Alternatively, a home inspection reviews over 400 different aspects of a home and is frequently conducted prior or during the sale of a home.
A 4-point inspection will include an evaluation of four vital areas according to the
Florida Standards of Practice:
Insurance companies may require a home over 15-20 years to have a 4-point inspection before issuing a policy for the home. This is because insurance companies don't want to take risks insuring older homes that are more likely to have an insurance claim filed due to a failure in one of the four main systems. A four-point inspection also ensures everything is up to code or well-built enough, which can be reassuring to a homeowner or homebuyer.
Besides appeasing the insurance company, all homeowners (or home buyers considering forgoing a full home inspection) should be aware of how well maintained these four areas are. You owe it to yourself to know the condition of the HVAC system, whether your pipes are corrosive in nature, whether the electrical system was wired correctly, and so forth. Having a 4-point inspection done by a licensed home inspector will inform you if these areas of your home are in a safe condition—and what can be done if they are not.
Our team of Florida certified home inspectors knows the 4-point inspection for insurance purposes well. Let us take the guesswork out of helping you obtain an accurate picture of the condition of an older house.
