Before a new company will write your policy, it may require an inspection first. In Florida there are two that matter, a 4-point and a wind mitigation, and they do different jobs. Which you need depends on the age of your house and what the new carrier requires.
A 4-point looks at four systems — roof, electrical, plumbing, HVAC — and settles one question: will this company insure the house. It is a gate rather than a price. Passing it takes nothing off the premium.
Age is what triggers it. Each carrier sets its own threshold, and those commonly fall somewhere between 20 and 40 years, so the same house can need one at one company and not at another. A newer house is usually not asked for one at all.
A wind mitigation is almost never what stands between you and a policy. It is usually optional, and it exists to document discounts rather than to qualify you for coverage. What it records is how well the house is built to hold up in a storm: the shape of the roof, how that roof is fastened to the walls, whether the windows and doors are protected.
That record is where the money is. Florida law requires a carrier's rate filing to include credits for features like those, and with no report on file there is nothing showing that your house qualifies for them. The Office of Insurance Regulation treats a completed form as good for up to five years, so look for an existing one before paying for a new one.
Every inspector's phone number is on their listing, so you can call and schedule directly.
A 4-point decides whether a carrier will write the policy. A wind mitigation records the features a premium can be credited for. Both are performed by a licensed Florida home inspector.
Often you can, and it is worth asking. Call your agent and ask them to shop other carriers for the same house, and the carrier that quotes you will say what it needs. On an older house that commonly means a 4-point inspection. A wind mitigation is separate: it records the storm-resistance features your premium can be credited for. Both are performed by a licensed Florida home inspector. A 4-point generally has to be recent, so changing carrier often means a new one, while a wind mitigation form can be reused for up to five years.
A 4-point inspection is a focused review of the four systems an insurer treats as highest risk: roof, electrical, plumbing, and HVAC. Carriers ask for one on older houses and each sets its own age threshold, so the same house can need one at one company and not at another. It decides whether a policy gets written at all rather than what it costs.
A wind mitigation inspection records storm-resistance features such as roof shape, roof-to-wall attachment, and opening protection. Florida law requires a residential property rate filing to include credits for verified features of that kind, so the report is how a house gets credited for having them. It does not guarantee a lower rate, because the size of any credit is set in each carrier’s own filing, but without the report there is nothing on file showing the house qualifies.
Source: Fla. Stat. § 627.0629
Not on age alone, provided the roof passes an inspection. Florida law, section 627.7011, says an insurer may not refuse to write or renew a policy solely because of the age of a roof that is less than 15 years old. Once a roof reaches 15 years, the insurer must allow you to pay for a roof inspection before it can require a replacement as a condition of coverage, and if that inspection finds the roof has five or more years of useful life remaining, the insurer may not refuse to write or renew the policy solely because of the roof age. Subsection (5)(a) names a home inspector licensed under section 468.8314 as one of the professionals who may perform it.
Source: Fla. Stat. § 627.7011
Yes. These are not only purchase-time inspections. Changing carrier is the common trigger, and an insurer may also ask for an updated report at renewal or after a policy review. It is why a homeowner who has not bought or sold a house in years can still end up needing an inspector.
The Florida Office of Insurance Regulation states that a completed uniform mitigation verification form is valid for up to five years, provided nothing material about the structure has changed and nothing on the form turns out to be inaccurate. A carrier can still ask for a newer one, so confirm with your agent before assuming an older report still applies.
Source: Florida OIR, wind mitigation
Much less time than a wind mitigation report. Carriers commonly want one completed within the last year, and some want it more recent than that, so moving to a new carrier often means paying for a fresh inspection rather than reusing an old one. This one varies by company more than most, so ask your agent what that specific carrier will accept before you book.
Florida home inspectors are licensed by the Department of Business and Professional Regulation and issued a license number. You can check any inspector yourself in the DBPR licensing portal, by name or by license number, before booking anything. Every listing in this directory is built from that same record.
Source: DBPR, verify a licensee