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What "Appraiser Bias" Means Under These Guidelines
Here's what we're talking about: appraisers have to avoid letting their own prejudices or unconscious assumptions about people's race, ethnicity, religion, gender identity, sexual orientation, age, socioeconomic status, or other personal characteristics influence how they value a property or analyze its neighborhood. California law requires appraisers to complete at least two hours of training on how implicit bias (what you don't realize you're doing), explicit bias (what you knowingly do), and institutional bias (how systems themselves can be biased) can skew their appraisals and create unfair disparities. The official appraisal form requires every appraiser to certify they performed their work without bias toward the parties involved, the property itself, or the demographics of the area—and they cannot base any part of their value opinion on anyone's actual or perceived identity characteristics. If someone questions whether bias affected an appraisal, the appraiser's best defense is having written down the objective reasons behind every decision they made, so they can prove their conclusions came from data and analysis, not assumptions.
Straight from Fair Housing Law & Appraisal Bias (Fair Housing Act, ECOA, USPAP AO-39/40), California Appraiser Licensing Law (BREA — BP Code/CCR Title 10), and UAD 3.6 / URAR (FNMA) — nothing added.
Here's what we're talking about: appraisers have to avoid letting their own prejudices or unconscious assumptions about people's race, ethnicity, religion, gender identity, sexual orientation, age, socioeconomic status, or other personal characteristics influence how they value a property or analyze its neighborhood. California law requires appraisers to complete at least two hours of training on how implicit bias (what you don't realize you're doing), explicit bias (what you knowingly do), and institutional bias (how systems themselves can be biased) can skew their appraisals and create unfair disparities. The official appraisal form requires every appraiser to certify they performed their work without bias toward the parties involved, the property itself, or the demographics of the area—and they cannot base any part of their value opinion on anyone's actual or perceived identity characteristics. If someone questions whether bias affected an appraisal, the appraiser's best defense is having written down the objective reasons behind every decision they made, so they can prove their conclusions came from data and analysis, not assumptions.
Straight from Fair Housing Law & Appraisal Bias (Fair Housing Act, ECOA, USPAP AO-39/40), California Appraiser Licensing Law (BREA — BP Code/CCR Title 10), and UAD 3.6 / URAR (FNMA) — nothing added.
Read the actual documents:
→ Fair Housing and Appraisal Bias Requirements (Chief Appraiser Document Library)
→ CCR Title10 Chapter6.5 BREA Regulations (Chief Appraiser Document Library)
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© Copyright Notice: © Fannie Mae. UAD 3.6 / URAR reference materials shown for research and reference only. Full documents available at fanniemae.com/uad. Reproduction restricted per Fannie Mae copyright policy.
© Copyright Notice: © 2026 Fannie Mae. Excerpts shown for research and reference only. Full document available at selling-guide.fanniemae.com. Reproduction restricted to Fannie Mae-approved lenders.
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The AQB’s Required 7-Hour Valuation Bias Class
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California's Fair Appraisal Act establishes anti-bias requirements
California passed the Fair Appraisal Act requiring bias statements in contracts, establishing that appraisers cannot base valuations on protected characteristics, and mandating state data collection on bias-related complaints.
Read full story at House Financial Services Committee testimony →
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2026 and later continuing education, verified against the specific state renewal cycle. If a complaint or reconsideration of value request alleges bias, document the objective…
Fair Housing Law & Appraisal Bias (Fair Housing Act, ECOA, USPAP AO-39/40) · Fair_Housing_and_Appraisal_Bias_Requirements.txt · Page 14
· View at official source (The Appraisal Foundation — USPAP) →
2026 and later continuing education, verified against the specific state renewal cycle. If a complaint or reconsideration of value request alleges bias, document the objective basis for every judgment made, since this is the primary defense against a bias allegation. Why this matters to real estate agents, not just appraisers: an agent preparing a seller for a listing, or representing a buyer through financing, may be asked directly whether an appraiser can consider a neighborhood's racial or ethnic makeup, or may need to explain a reconsideration of value process to a client who suspects bias affected their appraisal. Agents are not the ones who file a reconsideration of value request, the borrower or lender initiates that, but understanding which process
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by AQB. (B) At least two hours in elimination of bias training, as bias is defined in section 3500. Instruction on the elimination of bias shall include, at a minimum, the…
California Appraiser Licensing Law (BREA — BP Code/CCR Title 10) · CCR_Title10_Chapter6.5_BREA_Regulations.txt · Page 37
by AQB. (B) At least two hours in elimination of bias training, as bias is defined in section 3500. Instruction on the elimination of bias shall include, at a minimum, the following: (i) An overview of historical and current discriminatory practices in the real estate appraiser industry. (ii) Examples of how implicit, explicit, and institutional bias affects perceptions, analyses, and decisions of appraisers, leading to disparities in performing appraisals along lines of race, ethnicity, religion, gender identity, sexual orientation, age, socioeconomic status, or other personal characteristics or criteria listed in Section 11424 of the Business and Professions Code. (iii) Exploration of causes of bias and solutions and strategies to increase understanding and counteract how biases may contribute to disparities by
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report, or relationship with the present or prospective owners or occupants of the subject property, or other parties involved in this transaction. 2. I performed this assignment…
UAD 3.6 / URAR (FNMA) · Appendix C-1 URAR with Report Field IDs v1.3.pdf · Page 41
· View at official source (fanniemae.com/uad) →
report, or relationship with the present or prospective owners or occupants of the subject property, or other parties involved in this transaction. 2. I performed this assignment without bias with respect to the parties involved in this transaction, the property that is the subject of this report, or the demographics of the area where the property is located. 3. I am aware of and have complied with all applicable laws and regulations including antidiscrimination laws, rules, and requirements that apply to the appraiser and to the assignment. 4. I did not base any part of my appraisal on the actual or perceived race, color, religion, sex (including sexual orientation or gender identity), age (other than as applicable for legally age-restricted