Home Inspector in Miami, FL

What Green Foot actually inspects in Miami

Written from field inspections by Fabian Fernandez, CMI® (Florida license HI7640). Updated September 19, 2026.

This page is for the City of Miami, not the whole county and not the barrier island. On one side of the work are Brickell and downtown condominiums: unit interiors, limited common elements, and association documents the buyer still has to read. On the other are older CBS houses in neighborhoods such as Little Havana, Allapattah, and Morningside, where roof age, electrical panels, and plumbing often decide whether a carrier will write the policy. Island jobs belong on the Miami Beach page.

What inspectors commonly find in Miami homes

Older mainland CBS

In older mainland CBS, we spend time on the four systems insurers care about: roof covering and flashing, the electrical panel and visible branch wiring, supply and drain plumbing, and the HVAC equipment. Many of these houses predate current opening-protection rules. Jalousie or single-pane windows, an aging panel, or a roof near the end of its documented life are ordinary findings—not a reason to skip the inspection.

Brickell and downtown towers

In Brickell and downtown towers the unit can look finished while the building is mid-restoration. We inspect what we can access: the unit, visible mechanicals, and the condition of openings. Recertification is a structural and electrical report by a Florida-registered engineer or architect; Miami-Dade excludes single-family homes and duplexes. Concrete restoration and elevator work sit with the association. We do not treat a glossy listing as a substitute for those records.

Source: Miami-Dade County Building Recertification.

Year-round humidity

Miami is humid year-round. Moisture at slabs, poorly sloped grade, and AC that cannot keep up with the envelope show up on both houses and condos. We report what we see. We do not invent failure rates or dollar savings.

City of Miami, not the island

This page is the City of Miami. Island jobs belong on the Miami Beach page. A Brickell unit is a unit-plus-documents job; Little Havana, Allapattah, and Morningside are house inspections.

What a Miami inspection includes — and what it does not

Brickell and downtown condos

Expect a unit-plus-documents job. The inspection covers the residence and accessible systems. Hurricane glass, shutters, and roof credits usually live at the building level—confirm them on the association’s wind mitigation paperwork, not from a brochure.

Older CBS neighborhoods

Little Havana, Allapattah, Morningside, and similar stock are house inspections: roof, electrical, plumbing, HVAC, and the envelope. This is where a 4-point inspection is often required because of age, not because Miami is a beach town.

Not in this inspection

Seawalls, docks, and septic systems are outside a home inspection and outside our insurance inspections. Recertification and concrete restoration are engineer or architect filings and association work—not a unit walk-through. Specialized testing and engineering are other professionals. We inspect the house or unit and accessible systems.

A 4-point is not automatic on every Miami file, and it is never the only reason this page exists. When the house is older, the roof is undocumented, or the insurer asks for roof, electrical, plumbing, and HVAC in one form, we do that inspection where needed. Wind mitigation is Florida’s Uniform Mitigation Verification Inspection Form (OIR-B1-1802); inspections on or after April 1, 2026 use the revised form. We do not quote a premium dollar savings; the carrier applies credits from the form. Same-week buyer inspections still cover structure and interiors the 4-point does not.

Source: Florida OIR wind mitigation resources (OIR-B1-1802; Rule 69O-170.0155, F.A.C.).

If the property is farther west or south in Miami-Dade, call to confirm scheduling.

Services in Miami

Miami inspection questions

Do you inspect Miami Beach from this page?

This page is the City of Miami: Brickell, downtown, and older mainland neighborhoods. For the barrier island, see our Miami Beach inspections.

When does a Miami home need a 4-point inspection?

When the insurer or the age of the property requires a report on roof, electrical, plumbing, and HVAC. That is common on older CBS and not the default on a new downtown condo. Citizens requires a 4-point on applications for homes more than 20 years old; private carriers set their own rules. Ask the carrier; we perform the 4-point where needed.

Source: Citizens Inspections.

Do you inspect seawalls, docks, or septic systems in Miami?

No. Seawalls, docks, and septic systems are outside a home inspection and outside our insurance inspections. Canal or bay proximity is site context—we inspect the house and its systems, not the seawall.

Source: InterNACHI Standards of Practice (home inspection of readily accessible systems).

What should a Brickell buyer bring besides the inspection?

Association documents: recertification, concrete restoration, insurance, and special assessments. Recertification is a structural and electrical report by a Florida-registered engineer or architect. Miami-Dade excludes single-family homes and duplexes. We inspect the unit and accessible systems. We do not replace that filing.

Source: Miami-Dade County Building Recertification.

Does a home inspection replace Miami-Dade recertification?

No. Recertification is a structural and electrical report by a Florida-registered engineer or architect. A Brickell unit inspection does not replace it.

Source: Miami-Dade County Building Recertification.

How is City of Miami different from Miami Beach?

This page is mainland Miami: Brickell and downtown condos plus older CBS neighborhoods. Miami Beach is a barrier island with salt air, flood-exposed equipment, and a mix of Deco condos and houses.

Related resources

• Home inspection cost in Miami
• Home inspection vs 4-point in Florida
• OIR-B1-1802 wind mitigation guide
• Miami Beach buyer guide (island jobs)
• Florida insurance inspections guide