The Appraiser Qualifications Board of The Appraisal Foundation released a new exposure draft of proposed revisions to the 2015 Real Property Appraiser Qualification Criteria. It includes a new requirement that all applicants for real property appraiser credentials have a background that does not call into question public trust.  Applicants would be required to provide state appraiser regulatory agencies with all information and documentation necessary for a jurisdiction to determine an applicant’s fitness for licensure. An applicant will not be eligible for an appraiser credential if they have been convicted of or pleaded guilty or nolo contendere to a crime that would call into question the applicant’s fitness for licensure.

Due to the original effective date of the background check requirements (Jan. 1, 2015, but now delayed until Jan. 1, 2017), some states already have implemented new laws, some of which contain provisions that go far beyond what is required as minimum criteria by the AQB.