FHA Single Family Housing Policy Handbook 4000.1, II. ORIGINATION THROUGH POST-CLOSING/ENDORSEMENT > D. Appraiser and Property Requirements for Title II Forward and Reverse Mortgages > 3. Acceptable Reporting Forms and Protocols (04/10/2025) — n. Repair Requirements

FHA Single Family Housing Policy Handbook 4000.1, Part II — n. Repair Requirements (09/14/2015)

Effective 2015-09-14 · publisher's stamp for this provision

n. Repair Requirements (09/14/2015) When examination of New or Existing Construction reveals noncompliance with MPR and MPS, the Appraiser must report the repairs necessary to make the Property comply, provide an estimated cost to cure, provide descriptive photographs, and condition the appraisal for the required repairs. If compliance can only be effected by major repairs or alterations, the Appraiser must report all readily observable property deficiencies, as well as any adverse conditions discovered performing the research involved in completion of the appraisal, within the reporting form. Regardless of the Appraiser’s suggested repairs, the Mortgagee will determine which repairs are required. i. Limited Required Repairs The Appraiser must limit required repairs to those repairs necessary to: • maintain the safety, security and soundness of the Property; • preserve the continued marketability of the Property; and • protect the health and safety of the occupants. ii. As-Is Condition and Cosmetic Repairs The Appraiser may complete an as-is appraisal for existing Properties when minor property deficiencies, which generally result from deferred maintenance and normal wear and tear, do not affect the health and safety of the occupants or the security and soundness of the Property. Cosmetic or minor repairs are not required, but the Appraiser must report and consider them in the overall condition when rating and valuing the Property. Cosmetic repairs include missing handrails that do not pose a threat to safety, holes in window screens, cracked window glass, defective interior paint surfaces in housing constructed after 1978, minor plumbing leaks that do not cause damage (such as a dripping faucet), and other inoperable or damaged components that in the Appraiser’s professional judgment do not pose a health and safety issue to the occupants of the house. If an element is functioning well but has not reached the end of its useful life, the Appraiser should not recommend replacement because of age. iii. Defective Conditions Requiring Repair The nature and degree of any noted deficiency will determine whether the Appraiser must address the deficiency in the narrative comments area of the report under “condition of the property” or “physical deficiencies” affecting livability or structural soundness. iv. Conditions Requiring Inspection by a Qualified Individual or Entity The Appraiser must notify the Mortgagee and make the appraisal subject to an inspection by a qualified individual or entity when the observation reveals evidence of a potential safety, soundness, or security issue beyond the Appraiser’s ability to assess. The Appraiser must report and describe the indication of a particular problem when requiring an inspection of any mechanical system, structural system, or other component requiring a repair.

Source: FHA Single Family Housing Policy Handbook 4000.1, Update 18 (issued 2026-08-12) · source URL · snapshot e1bca3432cf19e09