Published: 2015-07-08
Key Benefits:
The director shall adopt regulations governing the process and the procedure of applying for a license which shall include, but not be limited to, necessary experience or education, equivalency, and minimum requirements of the Appraisal Foundation, if any.
(a) For purposes of the educational background requirements established under this section, the director shall grant credits for any courses taken on real estate appraisal ethics or practices pursuant to Section 10153.2, or which are deemed by the director to meet standards established pursuant to this part and federal law.
(b) For the purpose of implementing and applying this section, the director shall prescribe by regulation “equivalent courses” and “equivalent experience.” The experience of employees of an assessor’s office or of the State Board of Equalization in setting forth opinions of value of real property for tax purposes shall be deemed equivalent to experience in federally related real estate appraisal activity. Notwithstanding any other law, a holder of a valid real estate broker license shall be deemed to have completed appraisal license application experience requirements upon proof that he or she has accumulated 1,000 hours of experience in the valuation of real property.
(c) The director shall adopt regulations for licensure which shall meet, at a minimum, the requirements and standards established by the Appraisal Foundation and the federal financial institutions regulatory agencies acting pursuant to Section 1112 of the Financial Institutions Reform Recovery and Enforcement Act of 1989, Public Law 101-73 (FIRREA). The director shall, by regulation, require the application for a real estate appraiser license to include the applicant’s social security number.
(d) In evaluating the experience of any applicant for a license, regardless of the number of hours required of that applicant, the director shall apply the same standards to the experience of all applicants.
(e) No license shall be issued to an applicant who is less than 18 years of age.
(Amended by Stats. 2012, Ch. 683, Sec. 3. Effective January 1, 2013.)
A license issued with an effective date of January 1, 2000, or later shall be valid for two years unless otherwise extended or limited by the director.
(Amended by Stats. 1999, Ch. 974, Sec. 2. Effective January 1, 2000.)
(a) Each real estate appraiser license applicant and each controlling person of each applicant for registration as an appraisal management company shall submit to the Department of Justice fingerprint images and related information required by the Department of Justice via LiveScan for the purposes of allowing the office to obtain information as to the existence and content of a record of state or federal convictions and state or federal arrests and also information as to the existence and content of a record of state or federal arrests for which the Department of Justice establishes that the person is free on bail or on his or her own recognizance pending trial or appeal. If the applicant is located out of state, then the applicant shall include his or her fingerprint card with the application package and the office shall submit the fingerprint cards to the Department of Justice for the purposes of this subdivision.
(b) When received, the Department of Justice shall forward to the Federal Bureau of Investigation requests for federal summary criminal history information received pursuant to this section. The Department of Justice shall review the information returned from the Federal Bureau of Investigation and compile and disseminate a response to the office.
(c) The Department of Justice shall provide a response to the office pursuant to paragraph (1) of subdivision (p) of Section 11105 of the Penal Code.
(d) The office shall request from the Department of Justice subsequent arrest notification service, as provided pursuant to Section 11105.2 of the Penal Code, for persons described in subdivision (a).
(e) The Department of Justice shall charge a fee sufficient to cover the cost of processing the request described in this section.
(Amended by Stats. 2012, Ch. 683, Sec. 4. Effective January 1, 2013.)
(a) Notwithstanding Section 11341, a temporary license may be issued pending the outcome of the fingerprint and background check or as otherwise prescribed by the director. A temporary license is valid for up to 150 days. Unless otherwise prohibited pursuant to Section 17520 of the Family Code, a temporary license may be renewed once at the discretion of the director.
(b) The director may issue a probationary license as follows:
(1) By term.
(2) By conditions to be observed in the exercise of the privileges granted.
(Amended by Stats. 2010, Ch. 328, Sec. 21. Effective January 1, 2011.)
The director shall adopt regulations governing the process and procedure of applying for registration as an appraisal management company. Applications for a certificate of registration shall require, at a minimum, all of the following:
(a) The name of the person or entity seeking registration.
(b) The business address and telephone number of the person or entity seeking registration.
(c) If the applicant is not a person or entity domiciled in this state, the name and contact number of a person or entity acting as agent for service of process in this state, along with an irrevocable consent to service of process in favor of the office.
(d) The name, address, and contact information for each controlling person employed by the applicant who has operational authority to direct the management of, and establish policies for, the applicant. If the applicant employs more than 10 individuals meeting the criteria of this subdivision, the applicant may list the names, addresses, and contact information for the 10 individuals meeting the criteria who hold the greatest level of management responsibility within its organization.
(Added by Stats. 2009, Ch. 173, Sec. 9. Effective January 1, 2010.)
(a) A registrant shall notify the office within 10 business days, on a form developed by the office, of any additions, deletions, or changes in the names, addresses, and contact information for the individuals listed on its application.
(b) A registrant shall correct information on file with the office within 10 business days of discovering an error in that information, and shall not be subject to disciplinary action by the director or the office for incorrect information the registrant corrects within 10 business days of its discovery as being inaccurate.
(Added by Stats. 2009, Ch. 173, Sec. 10. Effective January 1, 2010.)
A certificate of registration as an appraisal management company shall be valid for a period of two years, unless otherwise extended or limited by the director.
(Added by Stats. 2009, Ch. 173, Sec. 11. Effective January 1, 2010.)
(a) No individual may act as a controlling person for a registrant if any of the following apply:
(1) The individual has entered a plea of guilty or no contest to, or been convicted of, a felony.
(2) The individual has had a license or certificate to act as an appraiser or to engage in activities related to the transfer of real property refused, denied, canceled, or revoked in this state or any other state.
(b) Any individual who acts as a controlling person of an appraisal management company and who enters a plea of guilty or no contest to, or is convicted of, a felony, or who has a license or certificate as an appraiser refused, denied, canceled, or revoked in any other state shall report that fact or cause that fact to be reported to the office, in writing, within 10 days of the date he or she has knowledge of that fact.
(Added by Stats. 2009, Ch. 173, Sec. 12. Effective January 1, 2010.)
The director may not issue a certificate of registration to an appraisal management company unless the appraisal management company confirms in its application for registration that all of its contracts with clients include provision of each of the following as standard business practices, as and where applicable:
(a) Ensuring that employee appraisers and independent contractor appraisers contracted by the applicant possess all required licenses and certificates from the office.
(b) Reviewing the work of all employee appraisers and independent contractor appraisers contracted by the applicant to ensure that appraisal services are performed in accordance with the Uniform Standards of Professional Appraisal Practice.
(c) Maintaining records of each of the following for each service request:
(1) Date of receipt of the request.
(2) Name of the person from whom the request was received.
(3) Name of the client for whom the request was made, if different from the name of the person from whom the request was received.
(4) The appraiser or appraisers assigned to perform the requested service.
(5) Date of delivery of the appraisal product to the client.
(Amended by Stats. 2012, Ch. 683, Sec. 5. Effective January 1, 2013.)
No person or entity acting in the capacity of an appraisal management company shall improperly influence or attempt to improperly influence the development, reporting, result, or review of any appraisal through coercion, extortion, inducement, collusion, bribery, intimidation, compensation, or instruction. Prohibited acts include, but are not limited to, the following:
(a) Seeking to influence an appraiser to report a minimum or maximum value for the property being valued. Such influence may include, but is not limited to, the following:
(1) Requesting that an appraiser provide a preliminary estimate or opinion of value for one or more properties prior to entering into a contract with that appraiser for appraisal services related to that property or properties.
(2) Conditioning whether to hire an appraiser based on an expectation of the value conclusion likely to be returned by that appraiser.
(3) Conditioning the amount of an appraiser’s compensation on the value conclusion returned by that appraiser.
(4) Providing an appraiser with an anticipated, estimated, encouraged, or desired valuation prior to their completion of an appraisal.
(b) Withholding or threatening to withhold timely payment to an appraiser because the person does not return a value at or above a certain amount.
(c) Implying to an appraiser that current or future retention of that appraiser depends on the amount at which the appraiser estimates the value of real property.
(d) Excluding an appraiser who prepares an appraisal from consideration for future engagement because the appraiser reports a value that does not meet or exceed a predetermined threshold.
(e) Conditioning the compensation paid to an appraiser on consummation of the real estate transaction for which the appraisal is prepared.
(f) Requesting the payment of compensation from an appraiser for purposes of enabling that appraiser to achieve higher priority in the assignment of appraisal business.
(g) Nothing in this section prohibits a person or entity acting in the capacity of an appraisal management company from doing any of the following:
(1) Asking an appraiser to do any of the following:
(A) Consider additional, appropriate property information, including information about comparable properties.
(B) Provide further detail, substantiation, or explanation for the appraiser’s value conclusion.
(C) Correct errors in an appraisal report.
(2) Obtaining multiple valuations, for purposes of selecting the most reliable valuation.
(3) Withholding compensation due to breach of contract or substandard performance of services.
(4) Providing a copy of the sales contract in connection with a purchase transaction.
(Amended by Stats. 2011, Ch. 716, Sec. 3. Effective January 1, 2012.)
A person or entity may not structure an appraisal assignment for, or a contract with, an employee appraiser or an independent contractor appraiser for the purpose of evading the provisions of this part relating to appraisal management companies.
(Amended by Stats. 2012, Ch. 683, Sec. 6. Effective January 1, 2013.)
(a) No registered appraisal management company may alter, modify, or otherwise change a completed appraisal report submitted by an employee appraiser or an independent contractor appraiser, including, without limitation, by doing either of the following:
(1) Permanently removing the appraiser’s signature or seal.
(2) Adding information to, or removing information from, the appraisal report with an intent to change the value conclusion.
(b) No registered appraisal management company may require an employee or independent contractor appraiser to provide it with the appraiser’s digital signature or seal. However, nothing in this subdivision shall be deemed to prohibit an appraiser from voluntarily providing his or her digital signature or seal to another person, to the extent permissible under the Uniform Standards of Professional Appraiser Practice.
(Amended by Stats. 2012, Ch. 683, Sec. 7. Effective January 1, 2013.)
No person or entity preparing an appraisal or performing appraisal management functions in connection with the origination, modification, or refinancing of a mortgage loan shall have a prohibited direct or indirect interest, financial or otherwise, in the property or the transaction for which the appraisal or appraisal management functions are performed, within the meaning of Section 226.42(d) of Title 12 of the Code of Federal Regulations and the accompanying commentary contained in Volume 75 of the Federal Register, page 66554, dated October 28, 2010.
(Added by Stats. 2011, Ch. 716, Sec. 4. Effective January 1, 2012.)
The provisions of this part relating to appraisal management companies shall cease to be operative 60 days after the effective date of a federal law that mandates the registration or licensing of appraisal management companies with an entity other than the state regulatory authority with jurisdiction over licensed and certified appraisers.
(Added by Stats. 2009, Ch. 173, Sec. 17. Effective January 1, 2010.)
