Wind mitigation and 4-point inspections in Florida
Buy a home in Florida with a mortgage and you'll need homeowner's insurance bound before closing. Two short inspections, neither of which is the general home inspection, often decide whether you can get that policy and what the wind part of it costs. The 4-point inspection answers "will an insurer take this house?" The wind mitigation inspection answers "how much wind discount does it earn?" This guide covers both, plus the state law on roof age, and where each one fits in a purchase.
Why these inspections matter to a mortgage
A lender won't close without proof of homeowner's insurance, and in most loans the premium is escrowed along with property taxes. If no insurer will write the house, the loan can't close on time. If the house earns no wind discounts, the premium, and so the escrow, is higher than it needs to be. Both questions are best answered in the first days after a contract is signed, inside the inspection period, while there is still time to negotiate or walk away.
The 4-point inspection: will an insurer write it?
A 4-point inspection looks only at the four systems insurers worry about most:
- Roof: covering type, age, remaining life and visible damage or leaks.
- Electrical: the panel, wiring type and any hazards. Insurers often decline panels and wiring with known fire histories.
- Plumbing: supply and drain piping, the water heater, and any active leaks.
- Heating and air conditioning: the equipment's age and whether it works.
No statute requires a 4-point. It is an underwriting rule each insurer sets. Citizens Property Insurance, the state-backed insurer, requires one with applications for homes more than 30 years old, completed within the past 12 months by a Florida-licensed inspector, with roof photos. Many private insurers ask for one sooner, often on homes 20 to 25 years old. Your insurance agent can tell you the cutoff for the carriers quoting your house.
A 4-point isn't pass/fail by law. An insurer may simply decline a house with an outdated panel, old pipes or an active leak until the item is repaired. For a buyer that is a negotiating point, and the reason to order the 4-point early. A seller-provided 4-point is useful only if it's recent and the insurer accepts it.
The roof-age law
Roofs are the most common reason Florida insurers decline or non-renew a house. Since July 1, 2022, state law limits how much roof age alone can decide that (Fla. Stat. §627.7011):
- An insurer may not refuse to write or renew a homeowner's policy solely because of roof age if the roof is less than 15 years old.
- For a roof 15 years or older, the insurer must let you have the roof inspected, at your expense, by an authorized inspector before it can require replacement as a condition of coverage.
- If that inspection shows at least 5 years of useful life left, the insurer may not refuse or non-renew solely because of roof age.
| Roof age | Inspected remaining life | Under §627.7011 |
|---|---|---|
| 8 years old | Not needed | Protected: the insurer can't refuse or non-renew because of roof age alone. |
| 17 years old | 7 years | Protected: the inspection shows at least 5 years of useful life left. |
| 19 years old | 3 years | Not protected: under 5 years of useful life left, so age can be the reason. |
Note what the law doesn't do. It protects against refusals based solely on age. A roof with damage or active leaks can still be declined at any age, and the law doesn't set the premium. Bills in the 2026 session to extend these rules died when the session ended, so the 2022 version is still the law. The full text is on the Florida Senate's statute page.
The wind mitigation inspection: what it can save
Florida law (§627.0629) requires insurers to offer discounts on the wind part of a homeowner's premium for construction features shown to reduce hurricane damage. The proof is a wind mitigation inspection on the state's Uniform Mitigation Verification Inspection Form, OIR-B1-1802, completed by an inspector authorized under §627.711. The features the form has long recorded include:
- Building code: whether the house was built or permitted under the Florida Building Code.
- Roof covering and when it was permitted.
- Roof deck attachment: how the sheathing is nailed down.
- Roof-to-wall attachment: toe nails, clips, or single or double wraps holding the roof to the walls.
- Roof shape: hip roofs generally do better in wind than gables.
- Secondary water resistance: a sealed layer under the roof covering.
- Opening protection: impact-rated windows, doors, garage doors or approved shutters.
The Office of Insurance Regulation adopted an updated version of the form effective April 1, 2026, based on a 2024 wind-loss study that reviewed which features reduce losses. Each insurer applies its own filed discount amounts, and since October 1, 2023, every residential insurer has had to describe its mitigation discounts on its website. The Office of Insurance Regulation's wind mitigation page has the current forms.
A seller's report can be reused
A completed OIR-B1-1802 is valid for up to 5 years, as long as the structure hasn't been materially changed and the form has no errors. A report from an inspection in June 2022 can still be used through June 2027. If the seller has one, ask for it with the other disclosures. It costs nothing and goes straight to your insurance agent. If the seller has replaced the roof or added impact windows since the report, a new inspection may show more discounts.
Help paying for upgrades
The state's My Safe Florida Home program has offered free wind mitigation inspections and grants of up to $10,000 toward approved upgrades: roof improvements, impact windows and doors, garage door reinforcement, and secondary water barriers. Demand has outrun funding in recent cycles, and eligibility rules change with each legislative session, so check the current status at mysafeflhome.com before planning around it.
Where they fit in a purchase
| When | What to do |
|---|---|
| Before you offer | Ask the listing agent for the roof's age and any existing wind mitigation report or 4-point. |
| First days under contract | Order the 4-point (if the house's age calls for one) and a wind mitigation inspection. Many inspectors do both alongside the home inspection. |
| Before the inspection period ends | Send both reports to your insurance agent and get a firm quote. If an insurer won't write the house as it is, negotiate repairs or credits. |
| Before closing | Bind the policy and send the declarations page to the lender. Add a flood policy if one is required (see the flood insurance guide). |
| Each renewal | Send the insurer an updated wind mitigation report after any roof or opening upgrade. Your escrow analysis picks up the new premium (see why taxes jump after you buy for how the analysis works). |
What the lender needs from the policy itself (coverage amount, hurricane deductible, binding before a storm) is in the homeowner's insurance at closing guide. Insurance is one line among the costs at closing. The closing costs guide covers the rest.
Quick answers
Do I need a 4-point inspection to buy a house in Florida?
Only if the insurer quoting the house asks for one. It's an underwriting rule, not a law. Citizens requires a 4-point for homes more than 30 years old, and many private insurers ask on younger homes.
Can a Florida insurer refuse my house because the roof is old?
Not because of age alone if the roof is less than 15 years old (§627.7011). For an older roof, you can have it inspected first; if the inspection shows at least 5 years of useful life left, age alone can't be the reason. Damage or leaks can still be.
How long is a Florida wind mitigation inspection good for?
Up to 5 years, as long as the structure hasn't been materially changed and the form is accurate. A seller's recent report can usually be passed to the buyer's insurance agent.
Data verified as of October 2026.