I bought and sold a pre-1990 FL home a few years ago and never heard of a 4 point inspection report. This could be new or could be specific to the 1 insurance carrier you are using.

If you don't want to pay for the repair, you can cancel the sale per the inspection clause.

I doubt the 4-8 new breakers will cost more than $500. You are worrying over something that is most likely very minor. All they do is get new breakers and connect incoming wires from the double breakers into the new breakers.

Your current inspection clause covers this issue so no need to have a 2nd clause regarding insurance inspection. the issue here is that the seller can refuse to do any fixes even if it is in the current inspection clause. the remedy is that the sale does not happen.

Pls report back with the amt charged by electrician. You might find it is $300.

You may well not need to even add any breakers.

Simply remove the"double tapped" leads, and a jumper to combine them, then land the jumper on the breaker.

These are old enough breakers they may not be listed for two wires, though some newer breakers are.

It appears you have a severe case of buyers remorse.
Are you mad at your agent, your husband or yourself, or all of the above?

The sellers don't need to do anything you ask, saying they "should" do something isn't important to anyone.

It appears you have already passed the backout time and you really want the house anyway so just enjoy the benefit of the house. It will all work out in the end.

It's a molehill, not a mountain. Relax. Your agent isn't being negligent, the buyers aren't being especially difficult, and the electrical "issue" is pretty much a non issue. And just because your particular insurance carrier is being a bit troublesome doesn't mean that they all are. Look for coverage from another carrier if need be, but almost any home in any state is subject to an insurance inspection (and possible rejection) nowadays. They can tell you to cut down trees, put up a fence, or get rid of your dog, or any number of outrageous demands before they will agree to cover you.

What about the building dept, codes and what other issues. And remember your inspector came from the RE agent and many are not trained in the codes for your area. Ask the building officials to inspect them for you.

"Ask the building officials to inspect them for you."

Not their job.

This is a pretty minor thing to fix. I just asked Mr. Weedy how long it would take him to do and he said probably a half hour. Plus the cost of the breakers.

Breathe, calm down, and just buy the house if it's otherwise perfect for you.

I am a homeowner in Florida with Homeowner's insurance. We live in a house built in 1968 and we recently (2011) purchased another house built in 1989.

A couple of years ago the Insurance Company that covered us for many years stopped doing business in Florida. We had to find another company to cover us.

We had to send pictures of our roof to our agent. Period.

We've never been asked for a 4 point inspection.

You may want to find a Independent Agent who can help you shop policies.

ML

Sorry if I came across as a whiner--
I just anticipated that our RE agent would have prepared us better for some of the problems that are unique to FL homebuying...and I post/read a website that is specific to area of FL we are buying in...most of the posters there are familiar with problems people have with getting insurance for older homes...and they know about 4 point inspections so I don't think this is really that new a requirement...they just sort of take it for granted that others do too...

ALL the insurance agents we have called to give quotes ARE independent agents who can write for more than one company...
our problem might not be same for anyone buying in FL if they are getting a newer home more inland or buying a condo--condo insurance is carried through the HOA/building and you pay a prorated share based on sq footage I think and people buying more inland or in different area with different zip code probably have different underwriting requirements...to certain extent...

It is just frustrating to be a week away from closing and not have issues like insurance nailed down...
I am hoping like so many of you (and my husband) think that repairing these breakers won't lead to more problems...but until it happens there is always a possibility out there...

Loves...are you buying in S. Florida? i did just read that the 4-point Inspection is necessary in those counties that were hit so hard by hurricane Andrew. It doesn't seem to be necessary in the areas of the state where we own houses.

ML

"I just asked Mr. Weedy how long it would take him to do and he said probably a half hour. Plus the cost of the breakers. "

If the breakers are not tripping from overloading there is likely no reason to bother adding more.

Just pigtail the lines with a like size piece of wire, then land the single wire on the existing breaker.

There is no NEC rul that a breaker cannot feed more than one outgoing line.
The restriction is on physically having two wires under the clamp on the breaker.

The 'set screw' style in NOT designed for more than one wire.
Newer breakers have an actual pressure plate and can be approved for more than one wire, though at least one brand requires the wires be the same gauge.

This is about a 15 minute job.

Open the panel, find the breaker with two wires, shut it off.
Disconnect the two wires from the breaker and join them to a like gauge pigtail a few inches long with a wire nut.
Attach the other end of the pigtail to the breaker.
Tighten the screw (the torque should be on the breaker).
Turn power back on.

Done.

Repeat as required.

Now go reset the clocks.

The only 'gotcha' could be if one portion of the circuit is a different current than the other (15 amps on #14 wire, vs. 20 amps on #12 wire.

The smaller gauge determines the allowed breaker size.

Fixing the breaker box is a couple minute job. Finding all the other stuff that the "electrician" messed up? who knows? This isn't an instance of some older work not meeting modern codes. This bit of work was done improperly from the start.

I don't think from the photos the home inspector sent that the breakers allow a pigtail--they are going to have to add breakers to the box...
that is why the inspector noted that there was space to do that in the current box vs adding larger one

It sounds like they did an un-permitted kitchen renovation, or else the electrical would have been up to code (if the local inspectors are decent), so you may have more than just the breaker box to worry about. Be sure you check the public record for the permit and find out exactly what was done and inspect closely, since it also seems from your post that it may have been DIY. (For the record, we did a huge DIY renovation, but it was all properly permitted and closely inspected, because the code guys here don't tolerate cheap corner-cutting flippers.)
I can't figure out why the current owners won't have this fixed, but I'd be reluctant to put any of my money into fixing their house, too.
That said, your home inspector would probably return to check on the repair (or might accept pictures, or possibly a licensed electrician's report) for little to no additional fee so that he can sign off your 4-point inspection. I'm surprised that is an additional fee, but $75 isn't much in the big scheme of things.

"I don't think from the photos the home inspector sent that the breakers allow a pigtail--they are going to have to add breakers to the box... "

Or pigtail the double tapped breakers down to a single wire.

there was a contracting firm involved in the kitchen remodel--

the problem really is that we are buying this house from TX--and the house is in FL--
it is next door to our daughter--and when we saw it on MLS--after looking at homes in the neighborhood and general areas the last time we were in FL--it made a very positive impression...
but because it did make such a good impression there were others looking to buy and because my husband has been busy with work and I have been sick we did not travel to FL and visit first hand before making an offer--we did it long distance/email in order to get our bid in with the other...

they took ours--which was a little lower-- because we can pay cash and no mortgage to qualify for...which could fall out as much because of the buyers in consideration as the house's condition in this mortgage climate...

our daughter and her friend and our RE agent went through the house and all three did not really see anything wrong--they all thought the house was probably priced lower than they could have gotten if they had been willing to wait--but it is a relocation move and they wanted to sell asap...

the only thing on the inspection report that is any way serious is the breaker problem...

our RE agent said he was going to check to make sure the permits were filed and the job was done according to code--
I guess this proves the work wasn't inspected by the city and that our RE agent didn't do what he promised as far as checking to see if permits were pulled...

but don't think my husband is going to walk away from this house w/o something lot more serious wrong...
if WE fail to close because of this inspection failure--which was not mentioned in the contract offer--then we lose our earnest money...

so yes--it could be a big mistake--but he doesn't really want to hear negatives...

A permit is not needed in SRQ county for a kitchen renovation unless they added added new plumbing or electric. Most often kitchen renovations use the existing plumbing and electric and simply change cabinets, appliances, sinks, flooring and countertops. I don't see the realtor at fault here, since they would not know if a kitchen renovation needed permits or not, simply by seeing a remodeled kitchen.

Who really knows if this MINOR electrical issue is related to the kitchen changes. It could have been there since the home was built.

Regardless, it is very very minor. No way is this a major issue.

When is the electrician coming to fix it?

My daughter said that she was told by the owners that they had to "change out half of the wiring" because of the kitchen remodel...they took out a wall and opened it up--there are pendant lights that coul be in spots were there were no lights before...I can't say because I did not see it before...
I think they probably had a stove with owen in original kitchen--now they have glass-top electric cooktop and oven built into the counter but to the side of the cooktop--
there is built in microwave which was likely part of the stove/vent/light--like our daughter's house has...
but this is speculation...w/o seeing plans no way to tell what was done...

I understand that sometimes remodeling does not require a permit--we did large remodel in home we own in DFW area and because we did not move plumbing or electrical to new location--just updated AND because the total of the remodel was under the $$ amount my city sets for permits we did not have to have permits either...

I am just going by what the realtor said he was going to do...if he checked and there were no permits pulled then I would have expected him to say that...
Our realtor was calling their realtor to see about access--I guess technically they don't have to grant it because requiring the house to pass inspection or get insurance was not part of the contract...
have not heard from realtor about it--
he might not call until it is done with the total charge...

Home Inspectors are NOT code inspectors. Inspecting for code is beyond the scope of a home inspection.

In addition, any inspection required by an insurance company should be performed by THEIR inspector, as they are knowledgeable of what the insurance company requires for insurance purposes. That is NOT the function of an HI.
Lately, more and more insurance companies are asking buyers for their home inspection report...but HI reports are not valid for that use. They are valid for the buyers personal use only. Insurance comapnies require different types of inspections than what is covered in a home inspection.

Any insurer that uses YOUR HI report as a basis for providing or denying homeowners insurance is putting the responsibility on you for any future problems that may occur that were not part of the home inspection...or, if the HI should miss something.

Last but not least no house "Passes" or "Fails" a home inspection...as the inspection is simply a method to tell you the condition of the home and its systems. It is then up to the buyer to choose to buy...or not.

Here is a link that might be useful: Florida Home Inspection Licensing Program

Probably part of the problem here is that insurance companies have been getting more and more reluctant to write policies in Florida, from what I hear--because of the huge losses they've sustained there in the past years.

But a small electrical box problem? I'm with those who are saying this is no big deal. The problem itself is minor--of course, the logistics of getting it fixed are a bit tricky since you need insurance, and don't really have legal access before settlement, and because the current owners aren't willing to fix this. Your real estate agent certainly has encountered this sort of thing in the past, and SHOULD be able to help you with solutions. If you're not getting any help from him/her, maybe try chatting with another agent you know, to pick his brain--they're usually happy to talk to you even if you're not a client.

But here's the thing with insurance, even if you get it before you buy, there's nothing saying that they won't come back to you AFTER the sale and demand fixes on the property. We bought a 'new to us', 1950's house 4 years ago, got insurance with no problem. Then, a month or so after we bought, we got a letter demanding we put railings on the front steps. Just saying--nothing unusual about having to make a few minor changes to keep the IC happy.

This is just one of those things that goes with buying a new home. You ALWAYS have things that need fixing. We've been going through our house replacing junction boxes because many of them aren't properly secured--and there's no one to complain to because that was okay by code when the house was built.

Honestly, take a deep breath and relax. This is a very minor problem, and you will get through it! Hang in there.

Okay, so what happened?
Did you close?

The electrician's repair report was enough to get the insurance written--
and he didn't have to do anything else
So we closed

He came out to the house the day after and showed us some of the problems with the main electrical box and pointed out some other problems in the house
And he was upfront about what was more cosmetic vs borderline problamatic

Basically it is a 40+ yr old house that has had remodeling donein stages and needs to have the electrical box cleaned up and updated

When the sellers did the kitchen remodel they added a new smaller panelffor part of the new fixtures but they didn't move any of the crowded circuits over to balance the load
Some of the circuit breakers are looseand need to be replaced with more modern version
probably shouldn't have passed inspection but required replacing--like the double tapped breakers

But the electrician also said that the kitchen remodel had been well done--so that is positive

Some of the things we are changing include relocating some ceiling fans and light switches and changing out some light fixtures and plug covers--which are mainly cosmetic vs dangerous

but prior owners had open/unshielded light bulbs screwed into the closet fixtures which is dangerous--especially with all they had crammed into their closets on the top shelves

they had taken out the porch light fixture on the ceiling of front portch--and covered the junction box with cardboard they painted--
so you couldn't really see anyone at the front door w/o opening it because there is not enough light at night...
Having that corrected...

'they also had some small transformers like you use for landscape lighting on back patio with extension cords handing out of them--right by where the BBQ grill is--
looked messy and dangerous--so that is getting cleaned up

Yes--I probably overreacted--
but our RE agent has been in business for more than 10 yrs
he has seen enough home inspection reports to know when something is going to be a problem
I can't believe that the guy doing the home inspection didn't tell him at the time that those breakers wouldn't pass insurance requirements...

anyway--
a house with an electrical problem is not so bad in the scheme of things...
we flew back from FL Friday and found out Monday that friend of our son--young man we have known since jr high--died very unexpectedly after going to ER for what he thought was bad case of flu...
left wife and three children under 3--

so that was terrible news...
difficult to take pleasure in your own happiness

"but prior owners had open/unshielded light bulbs screwed into the closet fixtures which is dangerous--especially with all they had crammed into their closets on the top shelves "

That was allowed for a long time.

It was only in the 1970s that the code for closets was tightened up.

It was enough of a fire issue it was pushed into the code.