Reference

UAD 3.6 glossary

The acronyms and jargon of the new appraisal dataset, in plain English — and why each one actually matters to your report.

34 terms across 4 categories

Program & delivery6

UADUniform Appraisal Dataset: The standardized set of data every residential appraisal must report to the GSEs. UAD 3.6 is the redesigned version.Why it mattersIt defines exactly which fields your report must contain and what values they can hold.In practiceEvery report in the sample library is a UAD 3.6 dataset — the data behind the single-family SF1 report.Single-family (SF1)Related: URAR · MISMO · UCDP
URARUniform Residential Appraisal Report: The single, dynamic appraisal report that replaces the old fixed forms (1004, 1073, 1025, 2090, and others).Why it mattersOne form now covers every property type — it expands and contracts based on the assignment.In practiceThe SF1 sample is a 23-page URAR; open the PDF to see the rendered form.Single-family (SF1)Related: UAD · Comparable grid
UCDPUniform Collateral Data Portal: The portal you submit the appraisal to. It runs compliance checks and either accepts the report or returns edits.Why it mattersA Fatal edit here blocks delivery. Catching those before you submit is the whole point of pre-submission QC.Related: Fatal edit · Warning edit · Compliance rule
GSEGovernment-Sponsored Enterprise: Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, who jointly define UAD and operate UCDP through the Uniform Mortgage Data Program.Related: UAD · UCDP
Delivery Specification: The GSE document (Appendix A-1) that lists every supported data point, its allowed values, format, and when it's required.Why it mattersIt's the authoritative source for 'what goes in the report.' When it and other guidance disagree, it wins.Related: Data point · Enumeration
Delivery package: The zip you submit: the MISMO XML, a PDF rendering, and a photos/exhibits folder.Why it mattersPhotos referenced in the data should actually be present in the package — a cross-check worth doing.In practiceThe SF1 sample ships as a package: the MISMO XML, a rendered PDF, and a photos/exhibits folder.Single-family (SF1)Related: XML · UCDP

Report & valuation15

ImprovementType: What a structure on the property is — for example a Dwelling or an Outbuilding.Why it mattersRequirements branch on this: a dwelling must have living units; an outbuilding may have none.In practiceMH1 models the home as an IMPROVEMENT_DETAIL with ImprovementType = Dwelling, plus a separate Outbuilding.Manufactured home (MH1)Related: LivingUnitCount · ADU
LivingUnitCount: The number of separate living units in a structure, including any accessory dwelling unit.Why it mattersIt cannot be zero for a dwelling (that's a Fatal edit) — but zero is valid for an outbuilding.In practiceSF1's dwelling has LivingUnitCount = 1; the 2–4 unit sample carries more.Single-family (SF1)Related: ImprovementType · ADU
PropertyEstateType: How ownership is held — usually FeeSimple, sometimes Leasehold, occasionally Other.Why it mattersChoosing 'Leasehold' or 'Other' opens additional required fields; 'Other' requires a description.In practiceThe estate type is FeeSimple in SF1; the Coop1 sample holds a proprietary lease instead.Single-family (SF1)Related: Conditionality · Cooperative
Cost approach: A valuation method that estimates value as land (site) value plus the depreciated cost of improvements.Why it mattersWhen you use it, the site value becomes required — the most common avoidable Fatal edit.In practiceMH1 and SF3 both use the cost approach — their estimated site values are $250,000 and $284,000.Manufactured home (MH1)Related: Site value · Conditionality
Site valueSiteEstimatedValueAmount: The estimated value of the land itself, separate from the improvements.Why it mattersRequired whenever the cost approach is used (or site value is otherwise indicated).In practiceSiteEstimatedValueAmount is $284,000 in the SF3 report.Single-family + ADU (SF3)Related: Cost approach
GRMGross Rent Multiplier: A ratio relating sale price to gross rent, used on income-producing properties like 2–4 unit homes.Why it mattersGRM comparables carry their own ValuationUseType and their own field requirements.In practiceThe 2–4 unit sample supports value with rent data and a gross rent multiplier.2–4 unit (Scenario 1)Related: ValuationUseType · Rental comparable
Comparable grid: The side-by-side comparison of the subject and comparable sales. In UAD 3.6 it's structured data, not fixed cells.Why it mattersBecause it's data, its internal consistency and per-comparable requirements can be checked automatically.In practiceSF1's grid compares the subject against three sales comparables side by side.Single-family (SF1)Related: ValuationUseType · URAR
Condition ratingC1–C6: A standardized 1–6 rating of the property's physical condition (lower = better): C1 new/never occupied · C2 like-new or fully renovated, no repairs · C3 well maintained, normal wear · C4 adequate, minor deferred maintenance · C5 obvious deferred maintenance, significant repairs but still livable · C6 substantial damage/defects affecting safety, soundness, or structural integrity.Why it mattersIt's an enumerated value applied to the subject AND every comparable, so it has to be consistent: overall vs interior/exterior, rating vs the narrative and photos, and across the grid — a comparable rated differently from the subject should carry a matching condition adjustment. Mismatches are a common reviewer flag.In practiceCondo1 carries an overall condition rating of C3.Condominium (Condo1)Related: Quality rating · Enumeration
Quality ratingQ1–Q6: A standardized 1–6 rating of construction quality (lower = higher quality): Q1 highest, architect-designed/luxury · Q2 high, custom or high-end tract · Q3 above standard/good · Q4 average/standard tract, meets code · Q5 basic/economy, lower-cost · Q6 lowest, minimal or no plans, possibly substandard.Why it mattersApplied to the subject and each comparable. A comparable of different quality than the subject should carry a corresponding quality adjustment, and the rating should line up with the described materials and workmanship.In practiceCondo1's overall quality rating is Q4.Condominium (Condo1)Related: Condition rating
ADUAccessory Dwelling Unit: A secondary, self-contained living unit on the property (e.g. a converted garage or basement apartment).Why it mattersADUs affect the living-unit count and have their own reporting considerations under UAD 3.6.In practiceThe SF3 sample includes an accessory dwelling unit (in an outbuilding).Single-family + ADU (SF3)Related: LivingUnitCount · ImprovementType
CooperativeCo-op: Ownership by shares in a corporation plus a proprietary lease — not a deeded real-property interest.Why it mattersThe estate and interest modeling differ from fee-simple and condo work, which changes several requirements.In practiceCoop1 is a high-rise cooperative built in 1971 — ownership is by shares, not a deed.Cooperative (Coop1)Related: PropertyEstateType
Rental comparable: A comparable used to support market rent, carrying the RentalComparable use type.Why it mattersIts required fields differ from a sales comparable — same file, different rules per role.In practiceThe 2–4 unit sample includes rental comparables to support market rent.2–4 unit (Scenario 1)Related: GRM · ValuationUseType
Reconciliation: The section where the appraiser weighs the approaches and states the final opinion of market value.Why it mattersThe opinion of value is both required and range-checked for reasonableness.In practiceSF1's reconciliation concludes an opinion of market value of $491,000.Single-family (SF1)Related: Opinion of value
Opinion of valueOpinionOfValueAmount: The appraiser's concluded market value for the subject property.Why it mattersIt must be present and within a sane range (for example, under a billion dollars) to pass.In practiceThe opinion of value is $491,000 in SF1 and $900,000 in Condo2.Single-family (SF1)Related: Reconciliation
Property Data Report: Inspection data collected by a third party that an appraiser may rely on instead of a personal inspection.Why it mattersWhen present, it triggers a set of conditionally required inspection fields.In practiceCondo1 is a hybrid appraisal that relied on a Property Data Report instead of an appraiser inspection.Condominium (Condo1)Related: Conditionality

Data model8

MISMOMISMO v3.6 reference model: The mortgage-industry data standard the URAR is built on. Your report is delivered as a MISMO XML file.Why it mattersIt's why the report is 'data first, document second' — the XML is the real report, the PDF is a view of it.In practiceThe SF1 sample is delivered as a single MISMO v3.6 XML file — the PDF is just a view of it.Single-family (SF1)Related: XML · Subschema · Data point
XML: The machine-readable file format the report is delivered in. Every value sits at a specific location in a nested structure.Why it mattersBecause it's structured, it can be validated automatically — and small formatting mistakes are caught precisely.In practiceBehind the SF1 report is one XML file; every value on the form sits at a fixed place inside it.Single-family (SF1)Related: MISMO · xPath
xPath: The 'address' of a field inside the XML — the path from the top of the file down to a specific value.Why it mattersYou don't type xPaths, but they're how a validator knows exactly which field an issue refers to.In practiceIn SF3, the site value lives at an xPath ending in SiteEstimatedValueAmount — its value is $284,000.Single-family + ADU (SF3)Related: XML · Data point
Data point: A single reportable value — like the year built, the estate type, or a comparable's sale price.Why it mattersThe Delivery Specification lists every supported data point and the rules that govern it.In practiceOpinionOfValueAmount is a single data point — it holds $491,000 in the SF1 report.Single-family (SF1)Related: Enumeration · Delivery Specification
EnumerationAllowed value: The fixed list of values a field is allowed to hold — like a dropdown. 'FeeSimple' is an enumeration of the estate type.Why it mattersA value outside the allowed list is a hard error, and the allowed list can differ by property role.In practicePropertyEstateType is enumerated; in SF1 the value is FeeSimple. A co-op is modeled differently.Single-family (SF1)Related: ValuationUseType · Data point
ValuationUseType: The role a property plays in the report: SubjectProperty, SalesComparable, LandComparable, RentalComparable, GrossRentMultiplierComparable, or PropertyAnalyzedNotUsed.Why it mattersThe same field can be required — or allow different values — depending on this role. It's the key to avoiding false alarms.In practiceIn SF1 the subject is SubjectProperty, its three comparables are SalesComparable, and five more are PropertyAnalyzedNotUsed.Single-family (SF1)Related: Enumeration · Comparable grid
Cardinality: How many times something can repeat — e.g. how many comparables or structures are allowed.In practiceSF1 contains exactly one subject PROPERTY and three SalesComparable PROPERTY instances.Single-family (SF1)Related: Data point
SubschemaGSE UAD 3.6 subschema: The tightened version of the MISMO schema specific to UAD — it only allows the values UAD supports.Why it mattersValidating against it catches structural and enumeration errors the broad MISMO schema would let through.In practiceEvery sample in the library validates cleanly against the GSE UAD 3.6 subschema.Related: Schema validation · MISMO

Errors & rules5

Conditionality: Whether a field is required always, required only under certain conditions, or optional.Why it matters'Conditionally required' fields are the sneaky ones — they become mandatory only after you make a related choice.In practiceBecause MH1 uses the cost approach, its site value becomes conditionally required.Manufactured home (MH1)Related: Cost approach · Fatal edit
Compliance ruleUCDP edit: A published check that verifies data completeness, format/type validity, or reasonableness. There are hundreds.Why it mattersThese are exactly what UCDP applies at submission — and what ReportReady runs beforehand.Related: Fatal edit · Warning edit
Fatal edit: A compliance failure that blocks your UCDP submission outright. It must be fixed before the report can be delivered.Why it mattersEvery Fatal edit is a re-cycle through the review chain. These are the ones to hunt down first.In practiceIf MH1 were missing its site value, that would be a Fatal edit (rule UAD1229).Manufactured home (MH1)Related: Warning edit · Compliance rule
Warning edit: A compliance issue that is flagged but does not block delivery.Why it mattersReviewers still scrutinize warnings — a clean report clears them too.Related: Fatal edit
Schema validation: Checking that the XML is well-formed and every element/value fits the allowed structure and lists.Why it mattersIt's the first layer of QC — if the file isn't schema-valid, nothing downstream will accept it.In practiceEach sample report is well-formed and passes schema validation against the subschema.Related: Subschema