FHA Temporarily Waives Requirement for Interior Photos of Homes in PDMDAs

FHA recently published a temporary waiver of the requirement for interior photos during inspections of properties pending mortgage closing or endorsement in Presidentially-Declared Major Disaster Areas (PDMDAs).  Interior photos of properties are otherwise required under FHA’s Single Family Housing Policy Handbook 4000.1.  The waiver notes that the requirement for exterior photos remains unchanged. 

FHA states that the waiver will be in place for the same period as FHA permits exterior-only appraisals (originally announced in Mortgagee Letter 2020-05, and most recently extended by Mortgagee Letter 2020-28 through October 31, 2020).  FHA notes that waiving the interior photo requirement “will provide consistency between the inspection requirements for properties in PDMDAs with the requirements for appraisal inspections.”