From November 2, 2026, new appraisal reports submitted to Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac must be the new URAR, delivered as UAD 3.6 data, unless the lender holds the GSEs' temporary exception. On your next order that means no form number, more facts gathered at the inspection, most answers picked from GSE lists instead of typed, and a compliance check before you deliver. The opinion of value is still yours.
Is November 2 still the date?
Yes. UAD 3.6 is mandatory for new reports submitted to the Uniform Collateral Data Portal (UCDP) on or after November 2, 2026. The date that counts is when the lender submits the report, not your inspection date or the report's effective date.
Some lenders asked for and received a temporary exception that lets them keep submitting UAD 2.6 reports until May 19, 2027, on terms that get worse after March 1, 2027. That is why every order now starts with a question about format. See every 2027 date.
What changes when the order comes in?
There is no form number to look for. The new URAR is one report for a detached house, a condo, a 2- to 4-unit property or a manufactured home. The GSEs say it plainly: the subject's own data, not a form type, decides what the report contains.
Before you start, settle two things with the client and write the answers down with the order:
- The format: UAD 3.6, or UAD 2.6 if the lender holds the exception.
- The report: an appraisal on the URAR, or one of the two separate reports for update and completion work, the Restricted Appraisal Update Report and the Completion Report.
What changes at the inspection?
You collect more, and you collect it in pieces. The GSEs' inspection tips and Fannie Mae's March 2026 Appraiser Update call out new facts to gather on site, including:
- Every view from the property, how much of each you see (full, partial or seasonal), and which one is the primary view.
- Every site influence that applies, such as a busy roadway, a park or a commercial area, and whether it is on the site, bordering it or off site.
- Each kitchen and each bathroom: its update status, when it was updated, and its condition status.
- Ceiling heights and ceiling style.
- Front door elevation: about how far the bottom of the front door sits above grade.
- Disaster mitigation features such as flood vents, impact-resistant glass and storm shutters.
- The roof: an estimate of when it was last replaced.
Quality and condition are rated for the exterior and the interior separately, then pulled together into one overall rating.
What changes at your desk?
Most of the report is picked from GSE lists, not typed. Each data point has a set of allowed answers, and the GSEs' URAR Reference Guide (Appendix F-1) defines them. The GSEs' June 2026 lessons-learned job aid, built from their review of early UAD 3.6 reports, flags two habits to drop:
- Choosing Other when a listed answer fits. Use the listed answer. Other is for when nothing on the list fits.
- Putting a feature in the wrong row of the sales grid, or in two rows. The grid grows with the property, so each item goes in one row, the row built for it.
The sales grid now also carries a comparable weight for each comparable (most weight, less weight or no weight), so your reconciliation comments have to match what the grid shows.
What do I check before I deliver?
Run your report software's compliance check before every delivery. If your software runs the GSEs' UAD Compliance API, it checks the file against the UAD 3.6 rules before the lender ever submits it. Ask your vendor whether it does.
After the lender submits, UCDP sends back a Submission Summary Report (SSR). A fatal finding there sends the report back to you. How to read your SSR.
What stays the same?
Your judgment. Adjustments, the weight you give each comparable, highest and best use, reconciliation and the opinion of value are still yours, and USPAP applies the same way it always has. The new URAR changes how the facts are captured and delivered, not who forms the opinion.
Questions appraisers ask
What should I ask the client when an order comes in?
Which format they want, UAD 3.6 or UAD 2.6 if the lender holds the GSEs' temporary exception, and which report, the URAR or one of the separate update and completion reports. Keep their answer with the order.
Do I collect more at the inspection?
Yes. The GSEs' inspection tips and Fannie Mae's March 2026 Appraiser Update list new facts to gather on site, including every view and site influence, update details for each kitchen and bathroom, ceiling heights, front door elevation and disaster mitigation features.
Does the new URAR change my opinion of value?
No. Adjustments, comparable weight, highest and best use, reconciliation and the opinion of value are still the appraiser's. The new report changes how the facts are captured and delivered.
What if my lender has the 2027 exception?
Then they may keep asking for UAD 2.6 reports until May 19, 2027. Ask on every order which format they want.
Sources
- Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, UAD 3.6 Frequently Asked Questions (updated August 2026), including question 9, on Fannie Mae's UAD page
- Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, Temporary Policy Exception for Sellers Unable to Meet UAD 3.6 Mandate (September 30, 2026)
- Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, Inspection and Reporting Tips for Appraisers, version 1.0 (October 21, 2025), on Fannie Mae's UAD page
- Fannie Mae, Appraiser Update (March 2026), Treatment of Location and View in UAD 3.6
- Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, UAD 3.6 Job Aid: Guidance for Appraisers through Lessons Learned, version 1.0 (June 23, 2026), lessons 1 and 7, on Fannie Mae's UAD page
- Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, Appendix A-1, UAD Delivery Specification for the URAR, version 1.4, Comparable Weight (Report Field ID 22.15.14), on Fannie Mae's UAD page
- Fannie Mae, UAD Compliance API fact sheet