HCAD to allow outside audits

Homeowners may avoid paying for costly upgrades

The Harris County Appraisal District board of directors Wednesday voted unanimously to allow third-party appraisals of flooded homes to help homeowners avoid costly upgrades in the wake of Hurricane Harvey.

The change could help at least 18 property owners make repairs to houses flooded during Harvey in unincorporated Harris County without costly upgrades, such as elevating the homes.

Those residents had homes that were deemed “substantially damaged” — damage greater than 50 percent of the home’s value — and would have been forced to meet current county flood plain regulations before being issued a permit to rebuild.

Independent appraisals could help flood victims prove that the value of their of homes is greater than the appraised value determined by HCAD on Jan. 1, 2017. With a higher appraisal, a home may not meet the Federal Emergency Management Agency’s 50 percent damage threshold that would mandate costly repairs.

Harris County sought HCAD’s review of the thirdparty appraisals.

“We have the worst flooding in Harris County history,” said Jim Robinson, a member

of the HCAD board who is also director of special projects for Harris County’s budget office. “We have at least 18 people that have appraisals that would like to be reviewed so they can get on with their lives.”

Josh Stuckey, chief administrative officer for the Harris County Public Infrastructure Department, said 665 homes had been substantially damaged in unincorporated Harris County. Roughly 200 of those are targeted for buyouts, so Wednesday’s vote could affect, at a maximum, 465 homes.

Stuckey said it is much more common for homeowners to challenge the estimate of damage as determined by the FEMA program, as opposed to seeking a third-party appraisal. As of Wednesday, he said, three owners had challenged their substantial damage estimates. Stuckey said he expects that number to climb as residents undertake repairs.

HCAD’s vote Wednesday was necessitated in part because the Jan. 1 appraised value of some Harris County homes may be outdated if, for example, homeowners had made upgrades between Jan. 1 and when Harvey hit.

Robinson said HCAD had allowed third-party appraisals to be used in the past, such as after devastating floods in 1994, but the district had halted the practice several years ago.

Robinson said he was satisfied with the outcome of Wednesday’s board meeting. HCAD board members expressed support for the change.

“You can speed up the system so these individuals can get their permits and get along with their lives,” Stuckey said.

HCAD officials said at the board meeting Wednesday that the third-party appraisal situation had not emerged since Tropical Storm Allison in 2001. Since that time, the agency has changed leadership twice.

“I think that it’s something that we need to do,” said Glenn Peters, who sits on HCAD’s board and is working on rebuilding his own home that was flooded during Harvey. “I’ve got a whole lot of sympathy for anybody who wants our help.”