What is UAD 3.6? A guide for lenders

UAD 3.6 is the updated Uniform Appraisal Dataset from Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, and it replaces the legacy appraisal forms with one redesigned Uniform Residential Appraisal Report (URAR) that covers all property types.

Last reviewed October 22, 2026.

UAD 3.6 is mandatory for new appraisal reports submitted to the Uniform Collateral Data Portal (UCDP) on or after November 2, 2026. Sellers (lenders approved to sell loans directly to Fannie Mae or Freddie Mac) that need more time can request a one-time policy exception from each GSE (Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac) they sell to; if the GSE grants it, they can keep submitting UAD 2.6 reports through May 19, 2027. UAD 2.6 is retired on June 28, 2027.

This guide is for appraisal and compliance staff at lenders, credit unions, and community banks. Each point links the Freddie Mac or joint GSE document it comes from.

What is UAD 3.6?

UAD 3.6 is the new version of the dataset Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac (the GSEs) use for appraisal reports delivered through UCDP. Freddie Mac's UAD and forms redesign FAQ describes the UAD as "a standardized industry dataset for appraisal property reporting" and says the GSEs are updating it "to create a data-driven, dynamic reporting structure to capture property and market information." As part of the update, the GSEs are aligning the dataset with the Mortgage Industry Standards Maintenance Organization (MISMO) Reference Model 3.6.

For a lender, the visible change is the report itself. The legacy forms, including the 1004, 1073, 2055, 1004C, and 1025, are being retired and replaced with "a single data-driven, flexible, dynamic structure for appraisal reporting." That structure is the redesigned URAR, plus a separate Restricted Appraisal Update Report and a separate Completion Report. Freddie Mac says the three have "a similar look and feel to the Uniform Residential Loan Application (URLA) and the Closing Disclosure (CD)."

UAD 3.6 is already in use. The joint GSE redesign timeline shows the broad production period began January 26, 2026, and the GSEs' September 30, 2026 announcement says "Many lenders are submitting UAD 3.6 appraisal reports; however, some lenders may need more time to adopt."

When does the UAD 3.6 mandate apply to a loan?

The mandate applies by the date each appraisal report is first submitted to UCDP. Freddie Mac's FAQ, in a section updated September 30, 2026, says: "The November 2, 2026 mandate is based on the initial UCDP Submission Date of each report."

It is not tied to the loan application or to the appraisal's effective date. The same FAQ says the mandate "is based on the UCDP Submission Date, not the Loan Application or Effective Date," and asks lenders to allow "enough time to order, receive, and submit any UAD 2.6 appraisal reports prior to November 2, 2026."

The joint announcement of September 30, 2026 adds: "The November 2, 2026 mandate is not changing."

What is the UAD 3.6 policy exception?

The policy exception is a one-time, temporary permission, requested from and granted by each GSE, that lets a seller keep submitting UAD 2.6 reports to UCDP after November 2, 2026. Under the joint announcement, a seller with the exception can submit new UAD 2.6 reports from November 2, 2026 through May 19, 2027, and resubmit UAD 2.6 reports through June 27, 2027. The GSEs call it "a one-time policy exception that will not be extended."

Who needs to request it

Only sellers that deliver loans to Fannie Mae or Freddie Mac are required to request the exception. The announcement says: "Lenders that don't sell loans directly to the GSEs are not required to request an exception, but they must align with their investors on their implementation plans." If you sell loans to an investor rather than to the GSEs, start with that investor.

Aggregators have a separate duty. A company that buys loans from third-party originators (TPOs) and sells them to the GSEs "must ensure that all of your TPOs are submitting UAD 3.6 appraisals, or you must request the policy exception."

How it is requested

A representative of the seller "that is authorized to enter into a binding contract must complete the online UAD 3.6 Policy Exception Request for each GSE to which they sell loans." Freddie Mac's policy exception request says sellers that will not meet the mandate must request it "Prior to November 2, 2026." The request is also a commitment: the seller agrees to "a final implementation plan, including coordination with vendor(s) and appraisers, to fully transition to UAD 3.6 by the expiration of the policy exception period."

What changes on March 1, 2027

The exception period has two stages. From November 2, 2026 through February 28, 2027, the timeline says UAD 2.6 reports "will continue to be eligible for collateral R&W relief for value and receive a collateral risk score from each GSE." From March 1 through May 19, 2027, the reduced functionality period, UAD 2.6 reports receive a collateral risk score of "99" in Freddie Mac's Loan Collateral Advisor and "999" in Fannie Mae's Collateral Underwriter, and the loans "will not be eligible for collateral representation and warranty (R&W) relief for value." The GSEs say sellers are "strongly encouraged to implement UAD 3.6 prior to March 1, 2027."

What happens after May 19, 2027

From May 20, 2027, the exception period is over and every new UCDP submission must be UAD 3.6: a new UAD 2.6 submission results in "an unsuccessful status" and a Fatal feedback message in the Submission Summary Report (SSR). Through June 27, 2027, UAD 2.6 is allowed only for resubmissions of reports already submitted. On June 28, 2027, UAD 2.6 is retired: "No UAD 2.6 appraisal reports will be processed."

Retirement concerns UCDP submission, not loan sale. Freddie Mac's FAQ says it "does not preclude the sale of the loan to the GSEs," and that "the standard appraisal report expiration requirements still apply."

What changes in the appraisal report you receive?

The report is organized by the property's data rather than by a form number. In Freddie Mac's words: "With the new URAR, the data that describes the subject property drives the appraisal report, not a form type or number."

• Update and completion reports (1004D / 442). These are now two separate reports, the Restricted Appraisal Update Report and the Completion Report. Each "must be associated with an existing UAD 3.6 URAR submission in UCDP." UCDP "does not accept mixed standards (UAD 2.6 and UAD 3.6) under the same Document File Identifier," so an update to a UAD 2.6 report stays a 1004D/442 in UAD 2.6 format.
• Rent schedule (1007 / 1000). The FAQ says that "in most situations" the rent schedule will not be completed separately, because market rent is "included in the new URAR under the Rental Information section."
• Operating income statement (216 / 998). "The GSEs have retired this form and do not expect to receive it through UCDP."
• General Addendum. The new report has none. Instead, "there are specific fields within each section of the URAR that allow commentary to be added as necessary."
• Condition and quality ratings. The scale has not changed, but "definitions were rewritten," and separate interior and exterior ratings were added.
• Scope of work. UAD 3.6 supports "traditional, hybrid, desktop, and exterior appraisal assignments." The GSEs say they worked with the Federal Housing Administration (FHA), the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA), and the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) to include those agencies' requirements, and tell lenders to "Contact each agency for their implementation plans." Land-only appraisals are not in scope.

For a crosswalk from the old form numbers to the new property type fields, the GSEs publish Functioning without Form Numbers.

What should lenders check on their side?

Start with Freddie Mac's UAD 3.6 Lender Implementation Checklist, dated September 2026. These are the items that land on appraisal and compliance staff.

1. Engagement letter. The checklist says to "Update Engagement Letter after review of the new UAD, which now includes common lender overlays." Freddie Mac's FAQ tells appraisers that whether an assignment is UAD 2.6 or UAD 3.6 "should be in the Engagement Letter," and notes that lenders using a staged rollout may vary requirements "from assignment to assignment."
2. Ordering. "Develop processes for ordering appraisal reports without form numbers."
3. Review. "Confirm appraisal report received matches what was ordered," "Learn how to review the new report," then submit to UCDP and review the SSR "for exceptions as needed."
4. Testing. Test your process from ordering through review and UCDP submission, and "Order some UAD 3.6 appraisal reports from diverse property types to test and provide early insight to your appraisal review team."
5. Third parties. Confirm readiness with investors, loan origination system vendors, appraisal management companies (AMCs), order management systems, and mortgage insurance companies. For the wider vendor review, see how to choose an appraisal management company.
6. Investors. For correspondent lending: "Ensure your investors will accept UAD 3.6, and review their SSR requirements including message severity."
7. Policies, procedures, and billing. Update policies and procedures, and "Review and update billing and payment systems as needed."
8. The UAD 2.6 pipeline. "Finalize and submit your UAD 2.6 pipeline prior to the November mandate," unless you hold a policy exception from each GSE you sell to.

UAD 3.6 sits alongside the other appraisal rules lenders follow. Valuation independence, the Appraiser Independence Requirements, and the related rules are on our regulations page.

UAD 3.6 key dates

Where are the UAD 3.6 requirements written?

This article explains the GSEs' published dates and answers; the requirements themselves are in the GSEs' guides. The joint announcement names them as "Freddie Mac Single-Family Seller/Servicer Guide Bulletin 2025-7 and Fannie Mae's Selling Guide Supplement: UAD 3.6 Policy." For help, the GSEs point lenders to their account representatives and their UAD webpages, including Freddie Mac's UAD 3.6 page.

The Appraisal Hub accepts UAD 3.6 orders. To see how we work with lenders, read appraisal management for lenders. For a question about an order, call (508) 850-9090 or send us a message.