Appraiser's Ethics And Accountability

Due to the seriousness of the task at hand appraisers must be professionals with a certain level of competence and ethics.

The appraiser's primary responsibility is to his client, the seller, buyer or lender. More times than not it is the lender who has contracted the appraisal while reviewing a potential client's loan application for property. If the lender is having the appraisal done, the prospective applicant can request a copy of the appraisal from the lender. The appraiser is bound to a very high level of accuracy and conduct.

An ethical appraiser will not perform an appraisal based on contingency fees or a predetermined result sought by one of the parties involved. The fee is a one time charge that must be paid, whether or not a loan is finally granted. Appraisers are not allowed to work on a percentage basis either. If they were allowed to do that it could encourage them to erroneously assign a greater value to the property, and thus make more money. All questions of conflict on the part of the appraiser must be eliminated for a fair market value to be reached as a result of their work.

The Uniform Standards of Professional Appraisal Practice (USPAP) is the regulatory body that sets, maintains and monitors appraisers.

Print Page