Correspondent ALERT – Updated Inspection Date for FHA Loans in Certain Florida Counties

HUD has issued a temporary waiver for properties, secured by FHA loans, impacted by Hurricane Helene and Hurricane Milton in the following highlighted counties:

 

Impacted Counties

 

Florida

Brevard

Charlotte

Citrus

Clay

Collier

DeSoto

Duval

Flagler

Glades

Hardee

Hendry

Hernando

Highlands

Hillsborough

Indian River

Lake

Lee

Manatee

Marion

Martin

Okeechobee

Orange

Osceola

Palm Beach

Pasco

Pinellas

Polk

Putnam

Sarasota

Seminole

St. Johns

St. Lucie

Sumter

Volusia

 

 

 

Inspection Requirements Table

 

Refer to the following table, which outlines the inspection requirements by program and loan closing status.

 

Loan Program

Loan Status

Inspection Requirements

·  Fannie Mae

·  Freddie Mac

·  VA

Signed/Closed/Not Funded

·  Follow standard inspection requirements noted below, OR

·  Provide a Lender’s Certification dated on or after Oct 11, 2024 in lieu of a property inspection – must be completed on letterhead, verify the property was not impacted by the disaster event, and include photographs taken by the Lender

Not Signed/Closed

·  Delay closing and require inspection; follow standard inspection requirements noted below

·  Access Non-QM

·  Edge Non-QM

·  Elite QM

·  Foreign National DSCR

·  Conventional Investment Property

·  FNMA/FHLMC Second Home & Investment

Signed/Closed/Not Funded

·  Fund loan, delay delivery, and require inspection; follow standard inspection requirements noted below

Not Signed/Closed

·  Delay closing and require inspection; follow standard inspection requirements noted below

FHA Purchase, Rate/Term, Simple Refinance, Cash-Out Refinance

Signed/Closed/Not Funded

·  Satisfactory FHA inspection required prior to purchase by Arc Home; follow standard inspection requirements noted below

Not Signed/Closed

·  Delay closing and require inspection; follow standard inspection requirements noted below

FHA Streamline Refinance

Signed/Closed/Not Funded

·  Follow standard inspection requirements noted below, OR

·  Provide a Lender’s Certification dated on or after Oct 11, 2024 in lieu of a property inspection – must be completed on letterhead, verify the property was not impacted by the disaster event, and include photographs taken by the Lender

Not Signed/Closed

·  Delay closing and require inspection; follow standard inspection requirements noted below

 

 

Inspection Requirements (Standard)

For all transactions in any of the affected counties, property inspections must satisfy the following criteria, as applicable per loan type.

 

For FHA Loans in the highlighted counties above:

·         For all FHA Purchases, Rate/Term Refinances, Simple Refinances and Cash-Out Refinances with an appraisal dated prior to October 11, 2024, a reinspection of the subject property will be required. The inspection report must meet all FHA disaster inspection requirements and be dated on or after October 11, 2024. If the initial appraisal effective date is on or after October 11, an additional inspection report is not necessary. As a reminder, inspections for FHA properties must be completed by an FHA-Roster Appraiser

 

For FHA Loans in all other (not highlighted) counties above: 

·         For all FHA Purchases, Rate/Term Refinances, Simple Refinances and Cash-Out Refinances with an appraisal dated prior to October 20, 2024, a reinspection of the subject property will be required. The inspection report must meet all FHA disaster inspection requirements and be dated on or after October 20, 2024. If the initial appraisal effective date is on or after October 20, an additional inspection report is not necessary. As a reminder, inspections for FHA properties must be completed by an FHA-Roster Appraiser.

                                                                                                 

Fannie Mae, Freddie Mac, FHA Streamline, VA, Conventional Investment Property, FNMA/FHLMC Second Home & Investment Property, Access Non-QM, Edge Non-QM, Foreign National DSCR, and Elite QM

·         If an appraisal has been completed prior to Oct 11, 2024, an exterior reinspection is required for ALL Fannie Mae, Freddie Mac, VA Purchase, VA Cash-Out Refinance, Conventional Investment Property, FNMA/FHLMC Second Home & Investment Property, Access Non-QM, Edge Non-QM, Foreign National DSCR, and Elite QM loans. For any Conventional loan with a Property Inspection Waiver, an inspection dated on or after Oct 11, 2024 is required. An inspection dated on or after Oct 11, 2024 is also required for ALL FHA Streamline Refinance transactions and VA Interest Rate Reduction Refinance Loans (IRRRLs).

·         The reinspection must be dated on or after Oct 11, 2024 and performed by an appraiser, include exterior photographs of the subject, and verify that the property was not impacted by the disaster event. Note: If the exterior inspection indicates the property sustained any damage, an additional interior inspection of the property must be completed by the appraiser.