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Your 4-point inspection failed

A 4-point does not have a pass mark. It is a report, and each carrier decides what it can live with. A finding that one insurer declines outright, another will write with a condition or a higher premium. Before you spend anything, find out which finding is actually blocking you — the answer is often one item, not the report.

What "failed" usually means in practice

Nobody stamps a 4-point as failed. What happens is that an underwriter reads it, finds something on their decline list, and refuses the application. So the useful question is never "did it pass" — it is "which specific line caused this, and does every carrier treat it the same way?" Frequently they do not.

The four points, and what each one is really about

System	What they are looking for	Typical decline trigger
Roof	Age, remaining life, condition, previous repairs	Age past the carrier’s threshold, or visible failure
Electrical	Panel brand, wiring type, capacity, hazards	Federal Pacific or Zinsco panel, cloth or aluminium branch wiring, knob and tube
Plumbing	Supply and drain material, age, active leaks	Polybutylene supply, failing cast iron drains
HVAC	Age, condition, whether it functions	Very old or non-functioning system

Triage: which findings are deal-breakers and which are noise

Not every item carries the same weight. Roughly in order of how likely each is to end an application outright:

Obsolete electrical panel — the hardest stop. A Federal Pacific or Zinsco panel is a decline at most carriers regardless of everything else, and replacing it is usually the cheapest way to unblock the whole file.
Polybutylene supply plumbing — many carriers decline, and a repipe runs $2,000–$8,000^†.
Roof age or condition — the most common trigger by volume, but the one with the most legal protection. An insurer may not refuse or non-renew solely on roof age under 15 years^†, and past that an inspector certifying five years of remaining useful life^† blocks a roof-age decision.
Cast iron drain lines — increasingly a decline in older Florida homes, though some carriers treat it as a condition rather than a stop.
Aged HVAC — rarely a decline on its own. Usually only matters alongside other findings.
Minor items — a missing outlet cover, a dripping tap, a loose fixture. These appear on the report and almost never affect the decision. Fix them because they are cheap, not because they are blocking you.

Do not fix everything on the list

The instinct after a decline is to clear the whole report. That is usually the most expensive route to the same outcome. Ask the underwriter — through your agent — which specific findings caused the decision. Very often it is one, and the other eleven items are documentation rather than obstacles.

The order that gets you insured fastest

Get the actual reason in writing. If this followed a non-renewal rather than a new application, the insurer is required to state the reason.
Shop before you spend. Carrier appetite differs enormously on exactly these findings. A second or third quote is free and sometimes solves it outright.
Fix the single blocking item, with a permit and a final inspection where one is required.
Get a wind mitigation inspection at the same time if you do not have a current one. It is the cheapest way to look like a better risk, and it offsets premium.
Re-inspect and resubmit with the paperwork attached. A replaced panel with a closed permit is a different application from a claim that it was replaced.

Do not let cover lapse while you sort it out

If this arose from a non-renewal, remember the notice rule: cover stays in force until 45 days after the notice is actually given, or until replacement cover starts^†. And if you are between policies, a gap is worse than a bad premium — it can breach your mortgage and the next insurer will price the lapse itself.

If you are mid-purchase

This is the moment the Florida buying process most often breaks, and it usually arrives late in the inspection period. A $75–$150^† inspection has just told you the house may be uninsurable, and your deposit is on the clock.

Get a second and third carrier quote before treating it as fatal. Appetite genuinely differs.
Price the blocking fix properly and negotiate it as a credit rather than a promise to repair after closing.
If the seller will not move and no carrier will write it, that is what the inspection period is for. A house you cannot insure is not a bargain at any price.

What a 4-point costsAnd when not to volunteer for one at all.Federal Pacific panelThe hardest single stop on the list.Polybutylene pipesThe plumbing finding that most often declines a file.Cancelled or non-renewedYour rights, and the notice rule that buys you time.

A home inspector in safety vest and hard hat checks doorframe alignment with clipboard outdoors.Photograph: RDNE Stock project / Pexels

Common questions

What happens if you fail a 4-point inspection in Florida?

There is no formal pass or fail. An underwriter reads the report and may decline, apply a condition, or charge more. Because carriers differ on what they will accept, a decline from one insurer often does not mean the house is uninsurable.

What fails a 4-point inspection most often?

Roof age or condition by volume, then obsolete electrical panels such as Federal Pacific or Zinsco, polybutylene supply plumbing, and failing cast iron drain lines. Aged HVAC rarely decides it alone.

Do I have to fix everything on the 4-point report?

Usually not. Ask through your agent which specific findings caused the decision — it is frequently one item, and fixing the whole list is the most expensive route to the same result.

Can I get insurance after failing a 4-point?

Often yes. Shop other carriers first, since appetite differs sharply on these exact findings, then fix the single blocking item with a permit and closed inspection and resubmit with the documentation.

Can an insurer refuse me because of roof age alone?

Not under 15 years. Past that, an authorised inspector certifying at least five years of remaining useful life blocks a non-renewal based on roof age.

Underwriting guidelines are each insurer’s own and are not published, so what one carrier declines another may accept. Statutory protections on roof age and non-renewal notice are cited above.