Do VA loans require repairs? What must be fixed

When does a Veterans Affairs (VA) loan require repairs?

A VA loan requires repairs when the appraisal finds the home falls short of VA's Minimum Property Requirements, known as MPRs. Ask your loan officer for the repair list on your Notice of Value (NOV) as soon as it is issued, and price each item before your inspection deadline. Cosmetic wear and minor upkeep are not on that list. The rules sit in chapter 12 of the VA Lenders Handbook, Pamphlet 26-7, and a home must meet them "prior to guaranty of the loan by VA."

Key takeaways

• In a home built before 1978, any defective paint is a required repair, and its cost is no reason to waive it.
• Your NOV, not the appraisal report, sets the final list. The two can differ.
• If the seller won't fix an item, VA will consider waiving it at your signed request, with your lender's agreement, if the home is still safe and habitable.

What repairs will a VA appraisal require?

Conditions that "impair the safety, sanitation, or structural soundness of the dwelling" make the home "unacceptable until the defects or conditions have been remedied and the probability of further damage eliminated" (topic 21). In practice, that means stopping the cause, such as the leak behind a stain, not just covering the damage. A house with these defects can still be bought with a VA loan once each one is fixed, escrowed or waived, as covered below. The handbook's examples include "evidence of continuing settlement," "excessive dampness," "leakage," "decay," and "termites." Here is how that lands on common inspection findings.

In some states and areas, the NOV requires a termite inspection even with no visible damage. VA's local requirements page lists them. Elsewhere, one is not required "unless specific issues are noted in the VA appraisal report."

Small stuff stays off the list. The appraiser "should not recommend repairs of cosmetic items, items involving minor deferred maintenance or normal wear and tear" (topic 1).

Is peeling paint a required repair on a VA loan?

Peeling paint is a required repair only in some homes. It depends on the year the home was built (topic 32).

• Built before 1978: "the presence of lead-based paint must be presumed." The handbook says "Any defective lead-based paint is a safety hazard that must be remediated." It adds that "Economic feasibility is not an acceptable reason for waiver" of that repair.
• Built in 1978 or later: defective paint "is normally considered cosmetic."

In an older home, the fix is scraping and cleaning, then "two coats of a suitable nonleaded paint." If the surface can't hold paint, it is stripped or covered instead. The VA-assigned appraiser must certify the finished work. Whoever does the work needs certification: the Environmental Protection Agency's Renovation, Repair and Painting rule requires "anyone paid to perform work that disturbs painted surfaces in homes" this old to be certified. Ask for the certification with the written bid.

Who pays for VA required repairs?

Settle who pays for the required repairs in writing, in your repair addendum. Ask the seller to complete every NOV item before closing, with a date.

To ask for the right amount, you need a price on each item. Get a written bid from the right trade for each NOV item: a roofer for the roof, an electrician for wiring, a pest company for termite damage. Kept prices every line of an inspection report for $79, usually under 4 hours, and marks the ones that need a professional quote (how each line is priced). What to ask for after a home inspection covers the items outside the lender's list.

If the seller offers money instead, know VA's limit. Chapter 8 of the handbook calls seller concessions over "four percent of the established reasonable value" excessive. The seller paying your closing costs or normal discount points does not count toward it. On a reasonable value of $300,000, 4% is $12,000. Ask your loan officer whether a repair credit counts toward that limit.

What if the seller won't make the repairs?

Every NOV item still has to be fixed, escrowed or waived. You have four moves:

• Escrow the work. "Lenders may hold funds in escrow for repairs to be completed after closing" (topic 43). Every repair must still be finished "before the loan may be guaranteed by VA." Ask your loan officer early whether they offer it.
• Ask VA for a waiver. After the NOV is issued, VA will consider one if you sign the request and your lender agrees. The home must also be habitable "from the standpoint of safety, structural soundness, and sanitation," and a waiver should not cover items "that could result in safety issues with the home." A licensed professional's report on the item supports your request, though VA does not require one. An approved waiver removes the item from your NOV, and VA "may reduce the value" by what the repair would have added.
• Finance the work. VA "may guarantee a loan for alteration and repair" made with a purchase loan (chapter 7, topic 4). The work must be "ordinarily found on similar property of comparable value in the community." The repairs' cost can go into the loan only "to the extent that their value supports the loan amount."
• Renegotiate or cancel under your contract's repair and appraisal terms. Repairs vs. credit vs. price reduction compares the options on one item.

Your contract sets the exact dates and terms, so confirm them with your agent or attorney.

How are VA repairs signed off before closing?

When the repairs are done, your lender tells the appraiser and sends a copy of the NOV (chapter 10, topic 23). It sends the NOV because "the requirements on the NOV may differ from the recommendations listed on the appraisal." Your NOV may call for a lender certification instead, which VA encourages, "especially repairs performed by licensed personnel." Lead paint repairs are the exception: the fee appraiser certifies those.

An appraiser's repair report must "include photos of all items" and "certify that the items were completed in a satisfactory manner." Get the contractor's invoice and any permit from the seller, and send them to your loan officer as soon as the work is finished.

Is a VA appraisal the same as a home inspection?

No, a VA appraisal is not a home inspection. "The fee appraiser will not perform operational checks of mechanical systems or appliances," the handbook says (topic 1). The appraiser must note "any readily apparent repairs." Your NOV even recommends a home inspection.

What changed in the VA minimum property requirements for 2026?

VA revised four chapter 12 topics on February 27, 2026, and marks the chapter effective after May 1, 2026. The changes a buyer will notice:

• Radon: "Radon Gas has been removed in its entirety" (topic 34). If radon matters to you, order your own test.
• Non-vented heaters: that subtopic "has been removed" (topic 23).
• Lead paint: topic 32 was trimmed. The paint rules above are the current text.

In its June 25, 2026 announcement, VA said that as of May 31, "the average VA appraisal takes approximately seven business days."

How do I know what my VA required repairs will cost?

Start with the NOV list and a trade bid for each item. Then price the rest of your inspection report, so you know the full total before you answer the seller.

If your VA appraisal came back with required repairs and your deadline is close, upload your inspection report to Kept and go into the repair talk with a number for every item.

Sources

• VA Pamphlet 26-7, chapter 12, Minimum Property Requirements
• VA Pamphlet 26-7, chapter 7, topic 4, Loans for Alteration and Repairs
• VA Pamphlet 26-7, chapter 8, topic 5, Seller Concessions
• VA Pamphlet 26-7, chapter 10, topic 23, Repair Inspections
• VA Home Loans, Local Requirements
• VA News, VA updates home loan appraisal requirements
• EPA, Lead Renovation, Repair and Painting Program