Most UAD 3.6 content falls into two buckets:
300-page GSE specs no one has time to read
Vendor announcements that give you a paragraph and a sales pitch
Neither tells you what you actually need to know: this isn't a form update. It's a fundamental shift in how appraisal ordering works. Anyone who treats it as "just learning new form numbers" is going to struggle.
I'm going to break down what's actually changing, who needs to do what, and why November 2026 isn't as far away as it sounds.
The short version: UAD 3.6 replaces form numbers with property questions. You have until November 2026 to comply, but you need to be ready months earlier. Lenders, AMCs, and appraisers all have different to-do lists. I'll cover each below.
Instead of corporate stock images, this series of UAD 3.6 articles will follow our friend Ada along her journey to summit Mount Compliance. 😉
The Timeline You're Actually Working Against
Let's start with the number in the title. Here's where things stand:
When | What |
|---|---|
2024 | UAD 3.6 specs published |
Q4 2025 | UCDP began accepting UAD 3.6 submissions |
Q1-Q3 2026 | Transition period (you are here) |
November 2026 | Mandatory compliance. Legacy formats no longer accepted. |
After November 2026, if your appraisal isn't UAD 3.6 compliant, you can’t deliver it to Fannie Mae or Freddie Mac. Full stop. Your loan doesn't close, or you're keeping it in portfolio.
But here's the part people miss: November 2026 is the deadline for compliance. Your deadline for readiness is earlier.
You need time to test submissions, catch errors, train staff, and work out kinks with your partners. If you're not production-ready by Q3 2026, you're going to be scrambling on live loans when the deadline hits.
Where you should be right now: If you started in late 2025, you're in good shape. Q1 2026 is about rolling out test workflows with your partners. If you haven't started? You're not sunk, but you're behind. That buffer shrinks fast.
The Core Shift: Form Numbers Are Dead
Here's where I see teams screw this up: they treat UAD 3.6 like a form rename. "Okay, so a 1004 is now called a Traditional URAR. Got it."
No. The forms aren't renamed. They're gone. The entire ordering logic is different.
Old way: You pick a form number. "I need a 1004." The form determines what sections appear, what data gets collected, what the appraiser delivers.
New way: You answer questions about the property. One dynamic report, the URAR, configures itself based on your answers. No more memorizing 13 different form numbers. If you wanted a clean translation, you’d have hundreds of permutations to track.
Trying to stick to the old forms is going to cause you problems down the road.
The 6 Questions That Replace Form Selection
Question | What It Determines |
|---|---|
What valuation method? (Traditional/Desktop/Hybrid/Exterior) | Inspection scope |
What construction method? (Site Built/Manufactured) | Whether the manufactured home section appears |
Is the site owned in common? | Condo/co-op site ownership handling |
What project type? (Condo/Co-op/None) | Whether project info section appears |
How many living units? (1-4) | Multi-unit sections and rental requirements |
Any ADUs? | ADU-specific subsections |
The catch: you need these answers before you order.
Under the old system, you could order a "1004" without knowing much about the property. The appraiser figured out details during inspection.
Now? You need answers to all six questions, and potentially more, before you can even get an accurate price. Is it a condo? Manufactured home? Does it have an ADU? Each answer changes the product configuration, which changes the price.
This shifts work upstream. Loan officers, processors, and order desks need better property intel earlier in the process.
Quick Translation: Old Forms to New Logic
If you're wondering how your current orders map:
Ordering a "1004"? That's now: Traditional valuation + site-built + no project + 1 unit
Ordering a "2055"? That's now: Exterior valuation method
Ordering a "1073"? That's now: Traditional + Condominium = Yes
Ordering a "1004C"? That's now: Construction Method = Manufactured
Think of it like switching from ordering by menu item number ("I'll have the #7") to describing what you want ("grilled chicken, no tomato, extra sauce"). Same food, different system. More logical once you get it, but you need to know what you want before you order.
Two Other Changes Worth Knowing
Products are now "base + modifiers." Under the old system, each form was a discrete product with a price. Now you have base products (determined by the 6 questions) plus modifiers for special conditions. A traditional appraisal of a manufactured home in a flood zone isn't a special form. It's the base URAR with manufactured home section enabled, plus whatever modifiers apply. This affects pricing structures and product catalogs.
Data delivery format changes. The XML structure is different (MISMO 3.6 with xLink arcroles, if you're technical). More importantly: PDF is now generated FROM the XML data, not the other way around. Data drives everything. Your software handles this, but your validation and error resolution processes need updating.
What This Means For You
Here's where it gets specific. Your to-do list depends on your role.
For Lenders
The big issue: Your order forms probably ask for a form number today. That won't work anymore.
You need to capture property characteristics (valuation method, construction type, project status, unit count, ADU presence) before you can get accurate pricing. If your intake process doesn't collect this data, you'll be chasing it after the fact on every order.
Your to-do list:
Update order forms to capture the 6 key property data points instead of form numbers. This is the most visible change for your team.
Confirm your LOS can receive and store UAD 3.6 XML. If it can't, talk to your vendor now, not in Q3.
Update AMC/appraiser agreements to require UAD 3.6 delivery. Make this explicit in your contracts.
Train underwriters on the new report structure. The sections look different; quality and condition ratings are standardized (Q1-Q6, C1-C6).
Test UCDP submission before the mandatory date. Don't let your first UAD 3.6 submission be on a live loan with a rate lock expiring.
Update product/pricing matrices to reflect the base + modifier structure.
For AMCs
The big issue: You're in the middle of everything. You need to accept UAD 3.6 orders from lenders and receive UAD 3.6 reports from appraisers. If either side isn't ready, you've got problems.
Your to-do list:
Verify your platform supports UAD 3.6 XML, both inbound (from appraisers) and outbound (to lenders/UCDP).
Rebuild order intake around property characteristics, not form numbers. Your order form is probably the first thing that needs to change.
Communicate early and often with your appraiser panel. They need to know your timeline, and you need to know if their software is ready. Don't assume. Ask.
Update QC checklists for UAD 3.6 validation rules. The data structure is different; your checks need to match.
Test end-to-end workflow: order placement, appraiser assignment, report delivery, UCDP submission. Find the gaps before November.
For Appraisers
The big issue: Your appraisal software does the heavy lifting here, but you still need to learn the new structure and make sure your tools are ready.
Your to-do list:
Confirm your software vendor has a UAD 3.6 update scheduled. If they're vague or noncommittal, that's a red flag. You may need to switch vendors.
Learn the new rating scales. Quality ratings (Q1-Q6) and condition ratings (C1-C6) are standardized with specific definitions. This isn't subjective anymore.
Understand how property characteristics determine report sections. The URAR adapts based on property type. You'll see different sections for a condo vs. a manufactured home vs. a 2-4 unit.
Get comfortable with defect reporting. There's a new structure for documenting defects and linking them to specific property components.
Review image requirements. Only .jpeg and .png formats. Specific naming conventions. Relative paths. Small details, but they'll cause rejection if you get them wrong.
For Compliance Teams
New XML schema = new validation rules. Everything you check needs to be updated for the new data structure.
Understand "conditionality." Many fields are required only when specific conditions are met. You need to know when a missing field is an error vs. when it's expected.
Prepare for audit trail changes. Data documentation and error resolution processes need to align with the new format.
What Stays the Same
Before you panic: most of what matters about appraisals doesn't change.
Unchanged:
The appraisal process itself (inspections, analysis, value conclusions)
Valuation principles and methodology
Your existing appraiser relationships
Quality and accuracy expectations
USPAP compliance requirements
UAD 3.6 is about how data is structured and delivered, not about fundamentally changing what an appraisal is. An experienced appraiser's expertise translates directly. A well-run AMC still needs the same operational discipline.
Think of it like switching from paper maps to GPS. You still need to know how to drive. But the interface is different, and you need to learn it.
The good news: With the right software, ordering appraisals actually gets simpler. A well-designed system asks you the right questions, handles the product logic behind the scenes, and gives you accurate pricing without you memorizing anything. The complexity moves into the software so it doesn't have to live in your head.
The vendors who get this right will make UAD 3.6 feel like an upgrade. The ones who don't will make it feel like a burden.
What's Next
UAD 3.6 is manageable. It's not a crisis. It's a transition. But transitions require preparation, and preparation takes time.
The organizations that start now will have smooth rollouts. The ones that wait until Q3 2026 will be scrambling, making mistakes on live loans, and burning goodwill with their appraisers.
If you take one thing from this article: The shift from forms to property questions changes how you think about ordering appraisals. Get comfortable with that mental model, and everything else follows.
I'll be publishing more detailed guides over the coming months, covering order form changes, product/pricing structures, and technical implementation. Subscribe to get them when they drop.
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