Crawl spaces, ventilation, and HUD/FHA guidelines!

[Jacob D Cockerell]

A lesson I have learned as an appraiser.  I recently appraised a home that was built in 2021. It had a crawl space with no vents. The block walls were sealed with a product similar to B-Dry, like you would normally find in a basement. There was also a thick plastic covering the ground. Despite this there were several areas of ponding water. The ponding water was not under any pipes or necessarily near the foundation walls, there was no clear indication from where the water came from. 

The HUD/FHA guidelines state that the crawl space of the home has to be adequately ventilated. To have air flow with no dead air. This is to prevent moister build up that can cause rot. Since there were no vents and clear signs of moister, I made the appraisal "subject to" proper ventilation to be installed and for the ponding water to be remediated.

Afterwards the listing agent contacted me for clarification. She wanted to know what ventilation was required and if there was an exception to the rule. The crawl space being designed and built that way, completely encapsulated and sealed. It felt like a disservice to install vents. I told her I was not aware of any exception to the rule. That I had looked for one before, when I first wrote the report because I kind of agreed with her. I told her I would look again and if there was any other solution to the problem, I would let her know. 

Since no more information could be found in the HUD/FHA handbook, or any online forums, I contacted HUD/FHA by phone. They informed me there is no exception. However, even though there were no vents in the crawl space, it is possible that the crawl space could be adequately ventilated through the interior of the home. That I cannot make the determination on whether or not the crawl space is adequately ventilated, and I should have made the report subject to an inspection by a qualified third party on if the crawl space is properly ventilated.

I am sharing this here to pass on what I learned to any other appraiser, agent, or anyone who has run into a similar salutation. A crawl space without vents doesn't necessarily mean that it is not adequately ventilated for HUD/FHA. A crawl space without vents should be inspected to verify it has proper air flow.

[Mark Bohstedt]

Jacob, we no longer vent any crawlspaces, we insulate and encapsulate which leads to much fewer issues with mold and mildew. 
   Installing a dehumidifier in the crawl space is always a good idea. I don’t honestly know many builders still venting crawlspaces in my area.