The Texas Appraiser Licensing and Certification Board is considering how to investigate complaints against appraisers made in bad faith—filed for the purpose of harassment or to gain a competitive advantage. Under Tex. Occ. Code Sec. 1103.452 and Board Rule 153.24(d), complaints filed in bad faith must be dismissed.
Recent forms updates, new appraisal experience assignment options, and an alternative pathway to fulfill your experience requirements are just a few ways the Board is removing inessential barriers to entry for aspiring appraisers in Texas. Here are three articles that outline the latest enhancements to the process.
In response to appraisal trainees’ difficulty in finding supervisory appraisers, the Appraiser Qualifications Board (AQB) adopted the Practical Applications of Real Estate Appraisal (PAREA) program. PAREA is an alternative to the traditional supervisor and trainee model and offers practical experience through a range of online and virtual reality technology. The AQB is currently in the process of vetting prospective programs.
Prospective appraisers must submit a completed Appraisal Experience Log as part of their application. New forms effective January 1, 2022, are available to help clarify and streamline this part of the process. Start by reviewing the new Appraisal Experience Log Instructions.
The Texas Appraiser Licensing and Certification Board (TALCB) is pleased to announce the launch of the TALCB complaint portal. This simple-to-use tool allows consumers to file complaints directly on the TALCB website. It also allows consumers to check the status of their complaints online. In addition, it integrates backend efficiencies for staff, which decreases complaint processing times. The complaint portal is located on the Filing a Complaint page of the TALCB website.
The 87th Texas Legislature passed House Bill 2533 which allows Texas appraisers to complete evaluations without complying with the Uniform Standards of Professional Appraisal Practice (USPAP). Prior to this change, Chapter 1103 of the Occupations Code required appraisers licensed or certified in Texas to comply with USPAP when performing an evaluation of real property.
The Board recently adopted rule amendments to TAC 153.11(a)(4) that reduce the number of hours of additional qualifying education required when an applicant fails a licensing examination three times, from 30 to 15 hours. Please be sure that you update any references to this requirement on your website and any other advertising materials.
As of September 8, 2020 TALCB began copying any appraiser that supervises an appraiser trainee on correspondence sent to the trainee from TALCB on enforcement-related matters (including complaints) and licensing matters related to deficiencies with an application, education evaluations, experience evaluations, and whether required experience has been met.
TALCB will begin copying supervisors on other licensing-related correspondence sent to trainees over the next two to three weeks. This includes correspondence with the trainee regarding: