If your Florida home is older, your insurance company may ask for a four-point inspection before it writes or renews your policy. The four points are the roof, plumbing, heating and air conditioning, and the electrical system. The electrical section is where many older Miami homes run into trouble, and where a little preparation can save a declined application or a rushed repair against a deadline.
Who asks for it, and when
Requirements vary by insurer and change over time, so check with your agent. As one example, Citizens Property Insurance says on its inspections page that it requires a four-point inspection for dwelling, property owner and mobile home applications on properties more than 20 years old, completed by a Florida-licensed inspector, and that serious hazards or deficiencies, such as exposed wiring, should be fixed before the application is submitted.
What the electrical section asks
Citizens publishes a sample four-point inspection form that shows what underwriters look for. On the electrical side it asks for:
- Photos of the main panel with the interior door label visible, and of the panel with its cover off.
- The panel: breakers or fuses, total amps, brand and model, panel age and the year it was last updated, and whether the amperage is sufficient for current usage.
- Wiring type: copper, single-strand or multi-strand aluminum, cloth, or knob and tube.
- Aluminum branch wiring: if present, details of remediation, with COPALUM crimp and AlumiConn listed, and separate documentation of the work from a licensed electrician.
- Hazards: double taps, blowing fuses, tripping breakers, exposed or unsafe wiring, empty sockets, improper breaker size, loose wiring, scorching, improper grounding, corrosion and over fusing.
What tends to get flagged in older Miami homes
- Panel brand. Some insurers will not write homes with certain older panels. See Zinsco and Sylvania-Zinsco panels.
- Fuses. A fuse box in a house that still has one.
- Double taps. Two wires under a breaker terminal made for one, usually from circuits added over the years.
- Open slots. Missing knockout covers in the panel cover, which the form calls empty sockets.
- Corrosion. Rust inside panels in garages and on exterior walls.
- Aluminum branch wiring without documented repairs; see aluminum wiring in older Miami homes.
- Mismatched breakers, or breakers larger than the wire they protect.
How to prepare
- Read your panel label. Note the brand, the main breaker size and anything that looks rusty, scorched or missing.
- Find your paperwork. Permits and invoices for any panel replacement, rewiring or aluminum remediation. The form asks for the year last updated, and documentation helps.
- Have the panel checked before the inspection, not after. A licensed electrician can correct double taps, fill open slots, replace damaged breakers and document what was done. Small items are much easier to handle on your schedule than against an underwriting deadline.
- Decide early on bigger items. If the panel is a type your insurer will not accept, a replacement needs a permit and an inspection, which takes time.
If the inspection has already flagged something
Get a copy of the inspector's report and the exact wording of each item. Many are small repairs. We can correct the electrical items, give you documentation of the work, and where a permit is required, handle it. Our electrical panel repair page covers repairs, and panel upgrades covers replacement. Our list of signs a panel needs replacing includes an insurer or four-point inspection flagging it.
Questions people ask
Can an electrician do the four-point inspection?
The form must be completed by a Florida-licensed professional your insurer accepts. Check with your agent which licenses they accept. Our role is usually to fix the items before or after the inspection and document the work.
Does a new panel pass automatically?
A new panel removes the panel-related items, but the inspector still looks at wiring type and other hazards, so aluminum branch wiring or exposed wiring elsewhere can still be noted.
Documentation worth keeping
The form asks for the year the electrical system was last updated and, for aluminum branch wiring, documentation of any repairs. Keep a folder with the permit number and final inspection for a panel replacement or rewiring, invoices that describe the work, and photos of the panel after the work. If you buy an older home, ask the seller for these. When the paperwork is missing, the inspector can only record what they see, and an underwriter may treat an undocumented update as no update.
Timing
If you know a renewal or a purchase is coming, book an electrical check a few weeks ahead. Small corrections can usually be done in one visit. A panel replacement involves a permit, a utility disconnect and reconnect, and a final inspection, so it takes longer to schedule.
Will two-prong outlets be flagged?
The form lists improper grounding among the hazards, so ungrounded three-prong outlets in particular may be noted. See two-prong outlets in older Miami homes for the options.
Need it looked at?
KRW Electric (EC13012832) troubleshoots and repairs panels and wiring before or after a four-point inspection in Pinecrest, Coconut Grove, South Miami and Miami Beach, with same-day service when scheduling permits. Call (305) 359-7312 and tell us what you are seeing. We will ask a few questions, tell you whether it sounds urgent, and give you the earliest time we have. Our before you call checklist covers what to have ready, and what happens on a repair visit explains the rest.
Reviewed by Kyle White, KRW Electric Company LLC — licensed electrical contractor EC13012832.
