4-Point Inspection Form: Checklist for Florida Inspectors

Short answer: A 4-point inspection reports the age, type and condition of four systems (roof, electrical, HVAC and plumbing) so a Florida insurer can decide whether to write the policy. The reference form is Citizens Property Insurance Corporation's Insp4pt 03 25. Citizens requires one for new-business applications on homes more than 20 years old, accepts it for 12 months, and wants it signed by a verifiable Florida-licensed professional with a set list of photos attached.

A 4-point is not a home inspection with fewer pages. It answers a different question. A buyer's report asks "what is wrong with this house?" A 4-point asks "is this house insurable right now?" The underwriter reading it wants ages, types and a yes or no on condition, backed by photos. Everything on the form serves that.

This guide walks through the current Citizens form section by section, as of September 2026, from the side of the inspector who fills it in.

The form: Citizens Insp4pt 03 25

Citizens publishes its form and its acceptance rules openly, which makes it the practical reference point. Other carriers may use their own forms.

Citizens' FAQ on alternate forms lists what a substitute must include: the inspection date, the inspector's signature, title, Florida license information and company, every required photo, and the age, type and condition of the wiring, heating and plumbing systems. It then "urges inspectors" to use the Citizens form anyway. Other carriers publish their own requirements, so check the one the client names.

The form's own disclaimer is worth reading once: "This information only is used to determine insurability and is not a warranty or assurance of the suitability, fitness or longevity of any of the systems inspected."

When a 4-point is required

Citizens' rule is short. "Citizens requires a four-point inspection for all property owner, dwelling and mobile home applications for properties more than 20 years old." Its FAQ adds three details inspectors get asked about:

• New business only, by default. Four-points are required on new-business submissions for homes more than 20 years old, "unless Underwriting determines that one is needed for a renewal policy," case by case.
• Not for tenants or condos. Four-point inspections are not applicable to tenant-named insured and condominium risks.
• The 20-year line is about the home's age. The header asks for the "Actual Year Built," so get it from the property appraiser record, not from the client's memory.

Private carriers set their own triggers. When a client says "my insurer wants a 4-point," ask which carrier and whether the agent sent a form. It saves a rewrite.

Roof age is a separate trigger

The roof has its own age rules at Citizens. Its inspections page says roofs older than 25 years (shingle or similar) or 50 years (tile, slate, clay, concrete or metal) "require documentation showing at least five years of remaining useful life." Its roof age FAQ puts the same lines the other way round: documentation of a full roof replacement is required, with documentation of at least five years of remaining useful life submitted for underwriting review as the exception. Mobile home roofs are held to the 25-year line. That is why the roof section of the 4-point asks for remaining useful life, and why an old roof can sink an otherwise clean 4-point. The roof certification guide covers the roof form and these rules in depth.

What each section asks

Here is the form as it is laid out, with the questions that trip people up.

Electrical

For the main panel and any second panel: type (circuit breaker or fuse), total amps, and "Is amperage sufficient for current usage?" with a No that needs an explanation.

Then presence checkboxes for cloth wiring, active knob and tube, and branch circuit aluminum wiring. If there is aluminum branch wiring, describe all of its usage. For single-strand aluminum, the form wants details of remediation (COPALUM crimp or AlumiConn) and "separate documentation of any single strand aluminum wiring remediation must be provided and certified by a licensed electrician." You record it. The electrician certifies it.

The hazards list: double taps, blowing fuses, exposed wiring, tripping breakers, unsafe wiring, empty sockets, improper breaker size, loose wiring, scorching, improper grounding, corrosion, over fusing, other. Then general condition, satisfactory or unsatisfactory.

Supplemental information covers panel age, year last updated, brand and model for each panel, and wiring types: copper, NM/BX/conduit, copper-clad aluminum, single-strand aluminum, multistrand aluminum, cloth (knob and tube), cloth jacket rubber insulated, other.

HVAC

Central AC yes or no, central heat yes or no, and if there is no central heat, the primary heat source and fuel type. "Are the heating, ventilation and air conditioning systems in good working order?" Date of last servicing or inspection.

Hazards: a wood-burning stove or central gas fireplace (and whether it was professionally installed), a space heater used as the primary heat source (and whether it is portable), and signs of blockage or leakage at the air handler, condensate line or drain pan, "including water damage to the surrounding area."

Supplemental: age of system and year last updated, plus a photo of the HVAC equipment "including dated manufacturer's plate." The data plate photo is the evidence for the age you wrote. Take it every time.

Plumbing

Temperature and pressure relief valve on the water heater, yes or no. Any indication of an active leak. Any indication of a prior leak. Water heater location.

Then condition (satisfactory, unsatisfactory or N/A) for the dishwasher, refrigerator, washing machine, water heater, showers and tubs, toilets, sinks, sump pump, main shut-off valve and "all other visible." Unsatisfactory items need comments: leaks, wet or soft spots, mold, corrosion, grout or caulk.

Supplemental: age of the supply and drain piping (original, completely re-piped, partially re-piped, with year and extent of renovation in comments), age of the water heater, and pipe types: copper, PVC/CPVC, galvanized, cast iron, polybutylene, ABS, PEX with year installed, other.

Roof

Predominant roof and secondary roof, each with covering material, roof age in years, remaining useful life in years, date of last roofing permit, date of last update, full or partial replacement with percentage, and overall condition.

Damage checklist: cracking, cupping or curling, excessive granule loss, exposed asphalt, exposed felt, missing, loose or cracked tabs or tiles, soft spots in decking, visible hail damage. Visible leaks at the attic or underside of decking and at interior ceilings, each yes or no, with an explanation for any yes.

The line at the top of this section matters: "With photos of each roof slope, this section can take the place of the Roof Inspection Form." Citizens' FAQ confirms the 4-point "can be submitted in lieu of the Roof Inspection Form (RCF-1)" when photos of each side of the roof are included.

Comments and certification

The comments section "must be completed with full details" whenever you note updates (type, date, and by whom), any visible hazard or deficiency, or any system not in good working order. The certification block takes your signature, title, license number, date, company name, license type and work phone.

What "acceptable condition" means

Citizens defines it in one sentence: "Acceptable Condition means that each system is working as intended and there are no visible hazards or deficiencies."

Its note to agents is blunt. Agents "may not submit applications for properties with electrical, heating or plumbing systems not in good working order or with existing hazards/deficiencies." On roofs, Citizens says it expects "all roofs, both predominant and secondary, be in acceptable condition" when the application goes in.

So a 4-point with a double tap, an active leak under a sink or a missing TPR valve is not a report the client can use yet. Say so clearly on site. The Citizens inspections page says serious hazards and deficiencies "should be repaired before an application for coverage is submitted." If the client wants you back to document the repair, decide in advance whether you charge for that trip.

Your job is to report what is there. Do not soften a finding to help the client get coverage. The certification says "the above statements are true and correct," and your license is what makes the form worth anything.

Required photos

Citizens lists the minimum photos on the form and repeats them in its FAQ. Missing photos are the easiest way to have a form sent back.

Who may sign a 4-point

Citizens requires the form to be "completed, signed and dated by a verifiable Florida-licensed professional." The examples on the form are:

• A general, residential or building contractor
• A building code inspector
• A home inspector

Citizens' FAQ adds that a registered architect, professional engineer or building code official licensed in Florida will be accepted if the license can be verified.

Two limits. First, "a trade-specific, licensed professional may sign off only on the inspection form section for their trade," so an electrician can sign the electrical section and nothing else. Second, a form "may not be accepted" if the appropriate professional did not perform it or the professional's Florida license "is not active or cannot be verified." Keep your DBPR license current and print the number exactly as it appears in the state's lookup.

If you are not yet licensed, start with how to become a home inspector in Florida. The broader field of insurance inspection work is covered separately.

How long a 4-point is valid

Citizens' FAQ (updated May 20, 2026) sets the window:

Put the inspection date on the report where nobody can miss it. When a client asks whether a report from last spring still works, the answer depends on their submission date, not yours.

Why 4-point forms come back

Citizens publishes only a short list of rejection grounds for the 4-point: the wrong professional performed it, or the license is not active or cannot be verified. The rest of this list comes straight from what the form and the FAQ require, which is what an underwriter checks against.

How to complete a 4-point efficiently

The form is short. The time goes into chasing ages and redoing photos. A few habits help.

Collect dates before you arrive. Year built from the county property appraiser. Last roofing permit from the county or city permit portal. Ask the client for HVAC service records, water heater receipts and any re-pipe or panel replacement paperwork, and ask them to leave the panel accessible.

Shoot in form order. Walk the exterior for the four elevations and the roof slopes, then the panel (door closed, door open, dead front off), then HVAC and the data plate, then the water heater and each sink cabinet. A fixed route means the photo set is complete before you leave, every time.

Record ages from evidence. Data plates, permit dates and panel labels beat estimates. Where you must estimate, say how you arrived at the figure in comments.

Write comments as you go. Every "No," "Unsatisfactory" or hazard box needs a sentence. Writing it at the fixture is faster than reconstructing it at the desk.

Tell the client about hazards before you leave. They need to call an electrician or plumber, and they need to know whether, and for what fee, you will come back to document the fix.

Binsr has the Florida 4-Point form built in, in the same template system as your full home inspection. Photos attach to the inspection, the section, the line item or the individual finding, so the data-plate photo sits next to the age it supports. The app works offline in the attic and syncs when signal returns. See features.

4-point checklist

Use this on site. It follows the Citizens form.

Pricing and pairing it with other work

Most clients who need a 4-point also qualify for wind mitigation credits, and the two share a site visit and the roof. Selling 4-point and wind mitigation as a bundle covers the workflow and pricing. For the wind form itself, see the wind mitigation form guide and what to charge for wind mitigation. The general method for pricing add-on work is in how to price ancillary inspection services.

Frequently asked questions

Keep reading

• Florida wind mitigation form, question by question
• Selling 4-point and wind mitigation as a bundle
• Roof certification and roof inspection reports
• How to become a wind mitigation inspector
• Home insurance inspections explained

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