Florida is unique in many ways, especially regarding insurance. Because insurance companies doing business in Florida are being careful who they insurance and homeowners are paying the price, there are now several types of insurance inspections. The average homeowner is not doing to know the difference between each type of home inspection. Fortunately for the reader I am very familiar with each of these because I have been kept busy with these insurance inspections and I have worked in the homeowners insurance industry for 15+ years, and I want to be able to help homeowners navigate each of these.
I am going to break down these different types of inspections and hope that this helps clarify the difference between Four-Point (or 4-Point) Wind Mitigation (or Wind-Mit), Replacement Cost Value (or RCV) and roof only.
What an insurance inspection is NOT
It is first very important to understand that an insurance inspection is NOT the same as the inspection you get when you buy a home. When you buy a home the inspector is looking at every aspect of the house to find any potential concerns for the homeowner. All insurance inspections will not provide the homeowner the information they need because these inspections are FOR the homeowners insurance carrier.
Four Point
A Four-Point, also known as a 4-Point is for the insurance carrier to confirm a home is qualified to have insurance coverage through them. In other words, they want to determine if they want to write or renew a policy with you or not.
The four “Points” or what is inspected
- Electrical
- HVAC
- Plumbing
- Roof
What to expect during a Four-Point inspection:
This inspection will take about an hour, but is typically done at the same time as a wind-mitigation inspection, together taking about 1.5 hours. The homeowner, or buyer will pay for this inspection even though the homeowners insurance will require this.
- The inspector will look at your electrical panel, including taking the cover off unless they deem it not safe to do so. The report will have the panel manufacturer and amps, with a picture of the box and label. There are many things an inspector will be watching out for, but most notable they will look for:
- Recalled panels
- Over-stripped or scorched wires
- Loose breakers
- Uncovered empty breaker slot
- The inspector will look at the HVAC compressor that is outside you home and air-handler that is inside your home and take a picture of both with their labels. The report will include these with the manufacturer and age. They will look for
- Verify there is an emergency cut-off switch within sight of the outside compressor
- Verify the inside air-handler has a drip pan
- Verify the AC is working by turning down, then turning up the thermostat. Note this step may be skipped if it is too cold or too hot outside.
- The inspector will look at your plumbing system including water heater with label and all under sink plumbing and pictures will be attached. The inspector will note the water heater age, manufacturer and gallon size if it has a tank and the type of plumbing pipe material. They will look for:
- The TPR valve has a properly installed discharge pipe
- Verify the tank water heater has a drip pan
- Verify the plumbing pipe material is not polybutylene or galvanized
- Verify the under-sink plumbing has the correct configuration/p-trap
- The inspector will look at your roof, either from a ladder, use a drone, or use a 30ft pole with a camera attached. The report will include the type of shingles and year of roof, pulled from permits. They will look for:
- Missing, cracked, lose, or damaged tiles or shingles.
- Improper, rusted or missing flashing
- Exposed nails
Wind Mitigation or Wind-Mit
While the wind-mitigation inspection is for the insurance carrier, it is used to help offset the costs to the homeowner. If the homeowner has qualifying characteristics that help prevent wind damage, then they get discounts on their coverage. What is especially unique about this report is there is a specific form that home inspectors must use and the home inspector must have had training to perform these inspections.
This inspection will take about an hour, but is typically done at the same time as a 4-point inspection, together taking about 1.5 hours. The homeowner or buyer is expected to pay for this inspection.
What to expect during a wind mitigation inspection
The home inspector will be looking at your roof, will get in your attic and measure the perimeter of your house using a measuring wheel, and verify if the garage door, windows and exterior doors are impact resistant.
The roof portion of the inspection will look for the same things as in a four point.
- Missing, cracked, lose, or damaged tiles or shingles.
- Improper, rusted or missing flashing
- Exposed nails
A drone is more commonly used in a wind mitigation inspection but a ladder or pole can also be used. The shape of the roof is also noted. If 90% of the roofing system is hip, then you qualify for a discount. The measuring wheel is used to measure dimensions and calculate the percentage.
So what is important about the garage door, windows and exterior doors? If they are impacted resistant and have a qualifying label, then you get a discount. But there are several catches here;
- Labels on the garage doors and exterior doors must show that the product is certified it meets the impact resistance rating. These labels must include: Miami-Dade, TAS, ASTM, or SSTD.
- You can show paperwork if there is a missing label.
- ALL openings (windows, doors, and garage doors) must meet this qualification. If you have even 1 window without this, then you will not get a discount. This includes windows in doors.
What the home inspector is doing in the attic during a wind-mitigation inspection
The inspector will look for these discount qualifiers:
- Verify nail spacing of every 6” using a scanner and marking on the wood with a marker
- Verify size of the nail is at least 6D
- Verify there aren’t 4 or more missed nails in a 4ft section at the top cords
- Verify roof deck thickness is at least 7/16”
- Verify the metal straps (if there are any) attached from the top wall plate to the rafters have at least 3 nails
RCV (Replacement Cost Evaluation) or free inspection through your insurance
A replacement cost evaluation inspection is done to verify your home has adequate coverage, however you will most likely not hear it called this. You will be notified by your carrier that thy will be sending someone out to do an inspection, then after you will get a call by the inspection company that they have hired. These are typically done on homes valued over $1million. Note that while this is to make sure you have sufficient coverage, any defects or safety issues will be noted.
This type of inspection will take about 1.5 hours and is no cost to the homeowner.
The home inspector will be going all sides of your house taking pictures, and will go in every room of your house and garage(s). The home inspector will not be going in the attic or under a crawlspace if there is one.
What to expect from the inspector:
- Outside inspection
- Roof inspection by drone only, about 20 pictures
- 1 picture of each side of the house showing the eves
- About 2 pictures of the yard
- Pictures of all attached or detached structures
- Inside inspection
- Pictures of plumbing under all sinks and water heater(s)
- Pictures of all HVAC components. No testing
- Pictures of panel, with the cover on
- Pictures showing any high-end lighting
- 1-2 pictures of each room
- Any customizations
Roof only
The name says it all, this is only an inspection of the roof. Typically this is free for the homeowner and the insurance provider will send an inspection. These are often requested when the home has a tile roof or is located near the ocean. This takes 15-30 mins
If the insurance is providing the inspection then this will be done using a drone. The following will be observed and reported on:
- Missing, cracked, lose, or damaged tiles or shingles.
- Improper, rusted or missing flashing
- Exposed nails
There is a lot of information here even though this is only highlighting the most important aspects. If you need any further clarification please comment or contact me, I am happy to help!