Any person who has obtained legal ownership of a replacement dwelling or land upon which his/her replacement dwelling is constructed, either before or after displacement, and occupies the replacement dwelling after being displaced, but within the time limit specified for 90-day owner-occupants and 90-day tenant-occupants, is eligible for a replacement housing payment if the replacement dwelling meets requirements for DSS housing.

Use the fair market value of the replacement land or dwelling to determine the replacement housing payment. The fair market value of land and improvements located on a parcel remainder will be the same as values established for properties in the approved appraisal for the parcel. The fair market value for dwellings and lands previously acquired by a county or city will be the same as those established for the properties by the County Appraisal District, or by a written appraisal report provided by the property owner. These appraisal reports shall be prepared according to recognized professional appraisal standards and must conform to the requirements described in TxDOT’s

Appraisal and Review Manual

. TxDOT review appraisers will review all appraisal reports to determine compliance with these standards. Costs associated with preparing this appraisal will be the displacee’s responsibility.

When a County Appraisal District value is used for a payment determination, conduct an “on-site” inspection of the real property to verify that the County appraisal covers the same land, dwelling and exterior attributes that are being claimed as the replacement residential property for the relocation assistance payment. Document the parcel file with a copy of the County property evaluation as it appears in the County Appraisal District’s records, or with the approved appraisal provided by the displacee. Document the control dates in the ROW PD files as established in or and Less than 90-day Owner-Occupants in the parcel files.