Iowa Code Title XIII. Commerce [Chs. 505-554D] § 543D.18. Standards of practice

1. A certified real estate appraiser shall comply with the uniform appraisal standards adopted under this chapter. The reliance of the public in general and of the financial business community in particular on sound, reliable real estate appraisal practices imposes on persons engaged in the practice of real estate appraising as certified real estate appraisers or as registered associate real estate appraisers certain obligations both to their clients and to the public. These obligations include the obligation to maintain independence in thought and action, to adhere to the uniform appraisal standards adopted under this chapter, and to maintain high standards of personal conduct in all matters impacting one's fitness to practice real estate appraising. A certified real estate appraiser and a registered associate real estate appraiser acting under the direct supervision of a certified real estate appraiser shall perform all appraisal assignments in an honest, disinterested, and impartial manner, with objectivity and independence, and without accommodation to the personal interests or objectives of the appraiser, the client, or any third person.

2. A certified real estate appraiser shall not accept an appraisal assignment or a fee for an appraisal assignment if the employment itself is contingent upon the appraiser reporting a predetermined estimate, analysis, or opinion or if the fee to be paid is contingent upon the opinion, conclusion, or valuation reached, or upon the consequences resulting from the appraisal assignment.

3. A certified real estate appraiser may provide specialized services to facilitate the client's or employer's objectives. Specialized services shall not be communicated as a certified appraisal or as a certified appraisal report. Regardless of the intention of the client or employer, if the appraiser would be perceived by third parties or the public as acting as a disinterested third party in rendering an unbiased analysis or opinion or conclusion, the work is an appraisal assignment rather than an assignment for specialized services. Communication of a valuation under oath is an appraisal assignment.

4. A certified real estate appraiser who enters into an agreement to perform specialized services may be paid a fixed fee or a fee that is contingent on the results achieved by the specialized services.

5. If a certified real estate appraiser enters into an agreement to perform specialized services for a contingent fee, this fact shall be clearly stated in each written and oral report. In each written report, this fact shall be clearly stated in a prominent location in the report, each letter of transmittal, and the certification statement made by the appraiser in the report.

6. A certified real estate appraiser making a significant contribution to the valuation or analysis process in completing an appraisal assignment shall sign the final written report or acknowledge the appraiser's contribution in a verbal report.

7. A certified real estate appraiser who receives significant real property appraisal assistance in the development or reporting of an appraisal assignment shall disclose such assistance in accordance with the uniform appraisal standards adopted under this chapter.