Question:

I delivered an appraisal report to my client.  A week later, an entity other than one of the identified intended users contacted me and asked that I provide a “reliance letter,” enabling them to rely on the appraisal report for their own investment use. My client says they have no problem with my doing that.  Can I provide this entity with such a letter, even though I had not originally identified them as an intended user?

Response:

No. You cannot add what is in effect a new “intended user” after the completion of an assignment, no matter what terminology you use.

USPAP defines Intended User as:

The client and any other party as identified, by name or type, as users of the appraisal, appraisal review, or appraisal consulting report by the appraiser on the basis of communication with the client at the time of the assignment. (Bold added for emphasis)

The proper way to handle this is to initiate a new assignment with this entity as the client and provide them an appraisal, being careful to develop an appropriate scope of work consistent with their own intended use.

This new assignment could be based on virtually the same data and analysis, and the value conclusion might be the same. However, in the new assignment you must consider the assignment elements most appropriate to the scope of work for that client and the assignment, which could well be different from those of your prior client.