I'll still condition on their presence.
It's a flexible issue where you can give up ground at the request of the client.
But if in doubt, why not promote a higher standard of safety?
If the client wants to swing a loan without the safety equipment present in the home, that's their business. You can downgrade observed reporting requirements to simple observed reporting.
But when the lender agrees to send the requirement down the line, the appraiser get's an additional quick and simple work order, the buyers are better protected just in case, and Realtors remember more often to advise the sellers to swing $20 for the devices just to avoid potential appraisal issues. The state law I do not believe, applies to refinances, only sales. So in refi's I inform the owners that in a sale situation such a device would be required, and they should pick it up later anyways just to be safe, even though I won't require it.
One home I looked at this year had the hardwired alarms. Only problem was they were spliced in inappropriately through the attic outside of junction boxes and the wires were exposed right next to insulation. I would have never known either, except someone ripped the cover off of the fire alarm thinking it was not hard wired.
Took the pic, they got the repair, I got the final order. Simple, easy, effective.
In the case of the question here: The appraiser had initially presented a proposed repair requirement to include said detector, but at the request of the lending client, this condition has been removed from the appraisal report. It is still prudent to install said device, but the appraisal does not have to be conditioned to require that repair.
http://portal.HUD.gov/hudportal/HUD?src=/program_offices/housing/sfh/ref/sfhp1-22
http://www.HUD.gov/offices/adm/hudclips/letters/mortgagee/
