I was looking at a home this week, for an FHA loan, that had screw in fuses. Have you ever seen these? They use to be common years ago, however at some point they were replaced with circuit breakers. I have been asked by homeowners and real estate agents if these fuses meet HUD’s minimum property requirements (M.P.R.), so I thought I would share the answer with you.
The short answer to the question is “yes”. Screw in fuses are acceptable for homes being financed with an FHA loan, 
however there are some conditions. First of all the fuses must meet local building codes. If they are acceptable then the appraiser must make sure that there are no frayed or exposed wires, which could cause and electrical fire. Some of the older screw in fuses are limited to 60 amps but if this is adequate for the size of the home and it’s requirements then it should pass FHA guidelines.
Appraisers are not electricians and they are not qualified to make the final decision regarding the adequacy of electrical service for homes that have had upgrades over the years but have not had the electrical system updated. It may be necessary to upgrade the electrical service to meet code. When this is the case appraisers may call for an inspection by an electrician, who will then report on the adequacy and may make recommendations. If this occurs the the loan underwriter will most likely make the final decision if any repairs or upgrades need to be made. I hope this answers any questions you may have about the older screw in fuses and whether they pass FHA/HUD appraisal requirements. If you have any other questions let me know and I would do my best to answer them for you.
If you have any real estate appraisal related questions you can call me at 205.243.9304, email me, or connect with me on Facebook., Twitter, or Youtube.
We recently purchased a home with an FHA loan, it had two FHA inspections the first revealed some necessary repairs & the second was post repairs clearing the home for the loan. Only days after our purchase, the company we chose for insurance sent us a notice that the roof has too much deterioration and they are cancelling our policy. What do we do? Is there any recourse in the inspection not identifying it not once but twice or can the insurance inspections opinion be disputed due to it passing the FHA inspections?
The appraiser is required to report if the roof has less than two years remaining life. It is quite possible that the appraiser believed the roof had more than two years of remaining life, however, it may still not meet the insurance company’s guidelines. You must keep in mind that the appraiser is NOT an expert in roofing, nor is he or she a home inspector so they cannot be held to the same expectations as you would these professionals. During the home purchase process, buyers have the option of getting a home inspection. The home inspector is more qualified to make a determination as to the remaining life of a roof. Also, it seems reasonable that the insurance company should have made a physical inspection of the house to determine the life of the roof before they decided to write a policy on it.
Hi Marge,
That is correct. Fha loans can not have any peeling paint for the reason that Tom has described. The Fha Mention about 1978 – is regarding lead paint. Any house that was built before 1978 most likely had lead in the paint. FHA requires a lead paint addendum signed by both sellers and buyers. 2 totally separate issues. That Fha requires. ThxRachel
I have a home under built 1905. Fha appraisal tagged peeling paint on the garage built in 1997 ( not attached) and the deck (attached) made of pressure treat wood, constructed in 1990. I appealed because these structures are not pre78 they said it’s not about lead paint, it is about exposed wood. Is that right?
That is quite possible. If the wood is exposed and could deteriorate due to the weather they may want it to be covered to protect it. I have also found that banks may have additional layers of requirements for the appraiser in addition to FHA guidelines so they may require the removal of peeling paint for improvements built after 1978.
I have a home under built 1905. Fha appraisal tagged peeling paint on the garage built in 1997 ( not attached) and the deck (attached) made of pressure treat wood, constructed in 1990. I appealed because these structures are not pre78 they said it’s not about lead paint, it’s about exposed wood. Is that right?