Enforcement Information

Enforcement Unit

Complaints against licensed appraisers or Appraisal Management Companies will not be accepted unless the appropriate complaint form (see below) is completed, signed and dated in compliance with California Code of Regulations Title 10, Chapter 6.5, Section 3726.

There are three types of investigations commonly conducted by BREA, which are described in the following table:

Enforcement Investigations

 

Enforcement Investigations
Type of Investigation Sources Typical Allegations
Complaints
  • Clients
  • Homeowners
  • Lenders
  • Other regulators (local, state and federal)
  • Appraisers
  • Violations of USPAP and/or BREA regulations
  • Technical errors
  • Inaccurate value conclusion
  • Fraud
  • Failure to provide services as contracted
  • Inappropriate conduct related to an appraisal assignment
Background Investigations
  • Law enforcement
  • Other regulatory agencies (local, state and federal)
  • Criminal convictions
  • Discipline imposed by other agencies
  • Other conduct relating to fitness for licensure
Questionable Applications
  • BREA's Licensing Unit
  • USPAP violations in work samples
  • Failure to properly acknowledge professional assistance of others
  • Falsified information on an application

 

BREA imposes disciplinary sanctions, when appropriate, which may include:

Accusations & Disciplinary Decisions

Explanation / Disclaimer for Disciplinary Documentation:

Accusations are posted on BREA's web site via Search for an Appraiser once they are filed and served on a respondent. An accusation is a formal legal document that notifies a licensee of BREA's charges and allegations of violations against the licensee and that requests a disciplinary order. The licensee is entitled to contest the charges in a formal hearing before an administrative law judge. An accusation is usually resolved by a BREA decision following such a hearing or by a BREA decision pursuant to a settlement agreement. There is often a considerable period of time between the date of filing an accusation and the resolution of the accusation. An accusation is resolved through a final disciplinary decision. It is important to remember that the accusation contains only allegations of violations; it does not contain findings or determinations of violations. To determine if a licensee has an accusation pending, please check the licensee's record on Search for an Appraiser.

Final disciplinary decisions are posted on BREA's web site once they become final and effective. A final disciplinary decision is a formal legal document that results from BREA's adoption of a proposed decision prepared by an administrative law judge, a settlement agreement, or a default decision. A final disciplinary decision contains findings, determinations, and an order. If there are findings of violations, the order may include revocation or suspension of the license, a stayed revocation or suspension of the license with a probationary period and terms and conditions or probation, or a public reproval. In the alternative, the decision may find that no violations or violations of a de minimis nature occurred and order the dismissal of the accusation. When the final disciplinary decision is posted on the web site, the accusation is included with the final disciplinary decision and removed from the web site as a separate posted document. Licensees with published disciplinary actions will have that action listed with a link to the disciplinary action documents in the "Compliance" section of their search result.

Disclaimer


All information provided by the Bureau of Real Estate Appraisers on its web site is available to provide immediate access for the convenience of interested persons. While the Office believes the information to be reliable, human or mechanical error remains a possibility, as does delay in the posting or updating of information. Therefore, the Office makes no guarantee as to the accuracy, completeness, timeliness, currency, or correct sequencing of the information. Neither the Office, nor any of the sources of the information, shall be responsible for any errors or omissions, or for the use or results obtained from the use of this information.