Thoughts on the revised crawlspace requirements

[AppraisinginAK]

Since HUD revised the crawlspace section in the handbook, what would you say the etcetera covers?

The previous bullet points laid out minimum expectations, and since they were replaced with “If the observation reveals evidence of a deficient condition (such as excessive dampness, insufficient ventilation, or smell of mold, etc.) “ it’s less clear, IMO.

What exactly would you say should fall under etc?

Do joists no longer need to be adequately above grade for duct and plumbing repairs? And not 18” above grade when there are system components?

If there are signs of vermin, trash, or debris is that not an issue?

I think they are , and I plan to continue on as I have. However I used to be able to take an excerpt from the Handbook to send to realtors, borrowers, lenders, or builders when they complained that the report was subject to removal of construction debris or old abandoned boilers from the crawlspace, or when the space was so short you couldn't access it. Since it’s not specifically stated now, I wonder how well that’ll go over.

Curious others thought on it?

 

[andrew81]

I do not care.

FHA has protocols for appraiser to condition subject to repair, if they change, then it is changed. The fewer the better. As an appraiser, our role is valuation, not being a home inspector.