FOUR-POINT FORM & WIND MITIGATION (INSURANCE FORMS)
FOUR-POINT INSPECTION
What is a 4-Point Form?
4-Point Forms are specific and are designed to obtain information about the home usually at the request of insurance companies. When you buy a home, a 4-Point Form may be required to get insurance on the property. If you already own a home, you may hear about a 4-Point Form for the first time when you receive a cancellation notice on your insurance.
What are the 4 points?
A 4-Point Form consists of the following:
- Verifying age and condition of Roof
- Verifying age and condition of Electrical Panel
- Verifying age and condition of HVAC (Heat, Ventilation & A/C)
- Verifying age and condition of water heater and plumbing connections.
I am buying a home. Can I use this as a less expensive full home inspection?
No. This type of inspection is not intended for use as a full home inspection. It is geared for your insurance needs and will not contain the type of information you may need to make an informed decision for purchase. A 4-Point Form will tell you the age and condition of the roof but will not tell you the condition of the attic or any other structural components of the home.
WIND MITIGATION
Several components of the roof system can help you save money on your home owner insurance.
Age of Roof
- All roof coverings that meet the FBC with an FBC or Miami-Dade Product Approval listing current at time of installation OR have a roofing permit application date on or after 3/1/02 OR the roof is original and built in 2004 or later.
Shape of the Roof
- Hip (Shaped like a pyramid)
- Gable (Shaped like a triangle)
- Flat
Hip is the winner when it comes to earning a credit on your insurance. In case of Gable ends on your roof, or if a flat roof is attached to the main structure, both would need to be under 10% of the entire roof perimeter to be considered a Hip Style Roof.
Tie Down Straps
- Wraps
- Clips
- Toe-Nailed
In this case, the Wraps would be the winner with Clips coming in a close second. A Wrap is a metal strap that wraps around the foot of a truss securing it to the structure. The wrap is required to have at least three nails holding it in place, two nails on one side and one nail on the other.
A Clip is a smaller piece of metal that does not go over the truss. It also is required to have at least three nails holding it in place.
Nail Pattern
- Plywood/Oriented strand board roof sheathing attached to the roof truss/rafter by staples or 6d nails spaced at 6” along the edge and 12” in the field.
- Plywood/OSB roof sheathing attached to the roof truss/rafter by 8d common nails spaced a maximum of 12” inches in the field.
- Plywood/OSB roof sheathing attached to the roof truss/rafter by 8d common nails spaced a maximum of 6” inches in the field.
The winner here would be the Plywood/OSB roof sheathing attached to the roof truss/rafter by 8d common nails spaced a maximum of 6” inches in the field. This gives your roof a mean uplift resistance of at least 182 psf.
Opening Protection
- Exterior Openings Cyclic Pressure and 9-lb Large Missile All Glazed openings are protected at a minimum, with impact-resistant coverings or products listed as wind-borne debris protection devices in the product approval system of the State of Florida or Miami-Dade County and meet the requirements of one of the following for “Cyclic Pressure and Large Missile Impact.”
- Exterior Opening Protection- Cyclic Pressure and 4 to 8-lb Large Missile All Glazed openings are protected, at a minimum, with impact-resistant coverings or products listed as windborne debris protection devices in the product approval system of the State of Florida or Miami-Dade County and meet the requirements of one of the following for “Cyclic Pressure and LargeMissile Impact.”
- Exterior Opening Protection-Wood Structural Panels meeting FBC 2007. All Glazed openings are covered with plywood/OSB meeting the requirements of Table 1609.1.2 of the FBC 2007
- Exterior Opening Protection (unverified shutter systems with no documentation). All Glazed openings are protected with protective coverings not meeting the requirements of Answer “A,” “B,” or C” or systems that appear to meet Answer “A” or “B” with no documentation of compliance (Level N in the table above).
The winner here is the first one. It is the best protection for your home. What a lot of people miss out on this is because they do not understand that EVERY Glazed Opening needs to be protected. Think of it like this; if it has a window in it, it needs to be protected.
Even if you have only one of the winners above, you can still save money on your homeowner’s insurance. I highly recommend every homeowner have their roof checked to see if it qualifies for discounts on wind mitigation.
STRUCTURE
STANDARDS OF PRACTICE FOR STRUCTURE
- the foundation;
- the crawlspace; and structural components;
- the exterior wall-covering materials;
- the eaves, soffits and fascia;
- a representative number of windows;
- all exterior doors;
- flashing and trim;
- adjacent walkways and driveways;
- stairs, steps, stoops, stairways and ramps;
- porches, patios, decks, balconies and carports;
- railings, guards and handrails; and
- vegetation, surface drainage, retaining walls and grading of the property, where they may adversely affect the structure due to moisture intrusion.
- the type of exterior wall-covering materials.
- the type of foundation; and the location of the access to the under-floor space.
ROOF
STANDARDS OF PRACTICE FOR RESIDENTIAL ROOFS
What We Do:
- the roof-covering materials;
- the gutters;
- the downspouts;
- the vents, flashing, skylights, chimney, and other roof penetrations; and
- the general structure of the roof from the readily accessible panels, doors or stairs.
- the type of roof-covering materials.
ELECTRICAL
STANDARDS OF PRACTICE FOR RESIDENTIAL ELECTRICAL
What We Do:
- the service drop;
- the overhead service conductors and attachment point;
- the service head, gooseneck and drip loops;
- the service mast, service conduit and raceway;
- the electric meter and base;
- service-entrance conductors;
- the main service disconnect;
- panelboards and over-current protection devices (circuit breakers and fuses);
- service grounding and bonding;
- a representative number of switches, lighting fixtures and receptacles,
- including receptacles observed and deemed to be arc-fault circuit interrupter
- (AFCI)-protected using the AFCI test button, where possible;
- all ground-fault circuit interrupter receptacles and circuit breakers observed
- and deemed to be GFCIs using a GFCI tester, where possible; and
- for the presence of smoke and carbon monoxide detectors.
- the main service disconnect’s amperage rating, if labeled; and
- the type of wiring observed.
ATTICS
STANDARDS OF PRACTICE FOR ATTICS AND CRAWLSPACES
What We Do:
- insulation in unfinished spaces, including attics, crawlspaces and foundation areas;
- ventilation of unfinished spaces, including attics, crawlspaces and foundation areas; and
- mechanical exhaust systems in the kitchen, bathrooms and laundry area.
- the foundation;
- the basement;
- the crawlspace; and
- structural components of the attic.
- the type of insulation observed; and
- the approximate average depth of insulation observed at the unfinished attic floor area or roof structure.
- the type of foundation; and
- the location of the access to the under-floor space.
GHOSTS IN THE ATTIC
We cannot tell if there are ghosts in the attic!
HVAC
STANDARDS OF PRACTICE FOR RESIDENTIAL HEATING AND COOLING
What We Do:
- the heating system and cooling system, using normal operating controls.
- the location of the thermostat for the heating system;
- the energy source;
- and the heating and cooling method.
- condition of visible ducting.
PLUMBING
STANDARDS OF PRACTICE FOR RESIDENTIAL PLUMBING
What We Do:
- the main water supply shut-off valve;
- the main fuel supply shut-off valve;
- the water heating equipment, including the energy source, venting connections, temperature/pressure-relief (TPR) valves,
- interior water supply, including all fixtures and faucets, by running the water;
- all toilets for proper operation by flushing;
- all sinks, tubs and showers for functional drainage;
- the drain, waste and vent system; and
- drainage sump pumps with accessible floats.
- whether the water supply is public or private based upon observed evidence;
- the location of the main water supply shut-off valve;
- the location of the main fuel supply shut-off valve;
- the location of any observed fuel-storage system; and
- the capacity of the water heating equipment, if labeled.
- whether the water supply is public or private based upon observed evidence;
- the location of the main water supply shut-off valve;
- the location of the main fuel supply shut-off valve;
- the location of any observed fuel-storage system; and
- the capacity of the water heating equipment, if labeled.
INTERIORS
STANDARDS OF PRACTICE FOR INTERIORS
What We Do:
- a representative number of doors and windows by opening and closing them;
- floors, walls and ceilings;
- stairs, steps, landings, stairways and ramps;
- railings, guards and handrails; and
- garage vehicle doors and the operation of garage vehicle door openers, using normal operating controls.
- a garage vehicle door as manually-operated or installed with a garage door opener.
- III. The inspector shall report as in need of correction:
- improper spacing between intermediate balusters, spindles and rails for steps, stairways, guards and railings;
- photo-electric safety sensors that did not operate properly; and
- any window that was obviously fogged or displayed other evidence of broken seals.