Can You Get Homeowners Insurance Without an Inspection?

You might be able to get home insurance without an inspection, but it’s all up to your insurer.

When you buy a homeowners insurance policy, insurance companies often require an inspection to evaluate your likelihood of filing a claim and to help them set fair rates. If you live in a modest, recently constructed home in an area without too much severe weather, your insurer might not need to inspect your home to understand your risk.

Learn when your insurer may not require an inspection, what to expect from an insurance inspection, and how to prepare for one.

When insurance companies don’t require an inspection

Insurance companies don’t always require an inspection, but it’s common for insurers to request one. If your home is older, has a higher value, or is in a region plagued by severe weather, it’s more likely your insurer will want to inspect it. These are a few circumstances when your insurance company may not require an inspection.

Your home is newly built or remodeled

Home insurance inspections are more common if you’re buying an older home or renewing a policy on an aging house. Insurers want to assess risk, so inspections will check for things like the age and condition of your roof, any nearby trees that could cause damage, plumbing, electrical, and HVAC (heating, ventilation, and air conditioning) systems, and safety and security features.1 A new roof and newer pipes are less likely to leak.

You don’t own a high-value home

Insurers consider your home’s replacement cost, or how much it will cost to rebuild. For example, a $200,000 home built with less expensive materials costs less to rebuild than a $2 million home constructed with special glass and stone. Insurers typically require an internal and external insurance inspection for higher-value homes.

You live in an area with a low natural disaster risk

Your insurer may not require an inspection if your region doesn’t face any seasonal or regular severe weather. Insurers are more likely to inspect homes in areas prone to natural disasters like hurricanes, wildfires, or tornadoes. They’ll look for vulnerabilities, excessive foliage, and improvements that increase resilience against various disasters.

You or the prior owner had a recent inspection

You may not have to get an inspection if you or a prior homeowner had one in the past decade. It’s all at your insurer’s discretion, and it may require an inspection for any renewal or new policy.

Can you get home insurance based on an appraisal?

Home insurance companies are unlikely to accept an appraisal in place of an inspection, but it’s entirely up to your insurer. An appraisal isn’t the same as an inspection, but some elements overlap.

An appraisal typically occurs during the homebuying or refinancing process. It assesses a home’s market value to determine loan interest rates, down payment, and loan approval, according to the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation. Appraisers consider factors like the home’s overall condition, size, location, nearby property values, and sales.

Home insurance inspectors assess your home’s risks and rebuild costs, not its market value. Rebuilding costs and market value may be quite different. If you’ve had a recent and thorough home appraisal, you can ask your insurer if they’ll accept it, but don’t be surprised if they still require an inspection.

Types of home insurance inspections

Depending on what your insurer requires, an insurance inspector may assess the interior, exterior, or all aspects of your home, according to the American Home Inspectors Training Institute (AHIT). These are the most common types of home insurance inspections.

Four-point home inspection

A four-point inspection evaluates four major features in your home: roofing, HVAC, plumbing, and electrical systems. This is a common type of insurance inspection, especially for homeowners buying a new policy.3 It’s faster and cheaper than a comprehensive home inspection and can help you plan for maintenance and repairs as well as help an insurer quote your premium.

Interior inspection

An interior inspection will review the same systems — electrical, plumbing, and HVAC — as well as safety features and certain structural conditions. Those often include:

• Condition of the basement, attic, and crawl spaces

• Fire alarms and carbon monoxide detectors

• Fire extinguishers

• Other safety features and security systems

Exterior inspection

Like a four-point inspection, an exterior inspection will review your roof’s age and condition, as well as other features like:

• Drainage systems (gutters, land grading, etc.)

• Foundation

• Walkways and driveway

• Chimneys

• Foliage (ivy, trees, etc.)

How to prepare for a home inspection

The best way to prepare for an insurance inspection is to do some inspecting yourself, according to AHIT. The more you know and can share with the inspector, the smoother the inspection will go. These are some ways you can prepare:

How long does a home inspection take?

An inspection could take anywhere from half an hour to half a day, primarily depending on your home’s age and size. If you have a smaller home and your insurer requests a four-point inspection, it might only take 30 minutes or so to check each system. If you have a large home and your insurer wants a full interior and exterior inspection, it could take a few hours.

How long it takes also depends on your inspector’s experience. A rushed inspection is worse than a long one, despite the possible inconvenience. A longer inspection could give you and your insurer a detailed and thorough assessment of your home.

Can you get insurance if your home fails an inspection?

If your home fails an inspection, don’t panic. You still have some options to secure a homeowners insurance policy. These are some steps you can take after a failed homeowners insurance inspection:

1. Resolve issues if you can. Sometimes, your insurer might write you a temporary policy to give you the time to make repairs. If you make the fixes within that window, you should be all set to buy a standard homeowners insurance policy. Even if your policy is canceled, ask what improvements should be made to make your home more insurable.4

2. Request a quote from a different company. If your insurer cancels your policy, get quotes from other companies. Ask your neighbors and the home’s sellers where they buy coverage, or call your state insurance department, real estate agent, contractor, and lender and ask which companies write policies in the area.

3. Look into your state’s insurer of last resort. If multiple insurers deny coverage, look into your state’s Fair Access to Insurance Requirements (FAIR) Plan. These policies are designed to protect homeowners who can’t get insurance on the private market, but they may be more expensive.

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