What to expect on a UAD 3.6 appraisal assignment
Ranking pages list field names. Desks need a sequence. This is the path an AMC processor and a lender QC analyst should be able to recite before they place the next GSE order.
1. The engagement letter names the dataset
Do not assume every file is 3.6 during the dual-format window, and do not assume any new GSE file can stay on 2.6 after November 2. The assignment has to say which dataset, which inspection scope, and whether a property data collection is in play. If the letter is silent, the appraiser should stop and ask. A mismatched first submission is a failed closing, not a revision.
2. The inspection follows the report, not the old 1004 muscle memory
UAD 3.6 is laid out more like a walk through the house. Room update status, ceiling style, vehicle storage, energy features, and photo placement are collected as the inspection happens. A collector or appraiser who still shoots a six-photo set and plans to narrate the rest later will bounce the file in QC.
3. Software has to be UAD 3.6 native
Legacy form-fillers cannot emit a valid 3.6 package. The appraiser's vendor, the AMC's order system, and the lender's UCDP connection all have to speak the same ZIP. Run the UAD Compliance API before the file ever leaves the panel. That API checks completeness and format. It does not replace Collateral Underwriter or Loan Collateral Advisor.
4. Reviewers read Summary and Assignment before the grid
The Summary page now calls valuation method, construction method, units excluding accessory units, and apparent defects. The Assignment page states whether a property data report stood in for the appraiser's inspection and who collected the data. A hybrid UAD 3.6 file that still looks like a traditional interior inspection is a policy problem, not a formatting problem.
5. Updates and completions are separate reports
The old 1004D combined those jobs. UAD 3.6 splits them. Each must match the original URAR's dataset. A 3.6 URAR cannot wear a 2.6 completion, and a 2.6 URAR cannot be patched with a 3.6 update.