The C.A.R. RPA defaults the appraisal contingency to 17 days after acceptance. It is a separate contingency from the loan contingency, which defaults to 21 days, so removing one does not remove the other. The number is negotiable and whatever appears in your contract grid controls.
The two-number answer is where most of the confusion lives. Appraisal is 17. Loan is 21. They used to travel together and they no longer do.
The RPA rewrite that took effect at the end of 2021 pulled the appraisal contingency out from under the loan contingency and gave it its own line, its own default, and its own removal. That change is now several years old and it still catches people, mostly because "the appraisal came back fine so we're covered on financing" remains an intuitive sentence and a wrong one.
What the deadline actually is
Day 17 is not the date the appraisal has to arrive. It is the date the buyer's written removal of the appraisal contingency is due. Those are different things and the gap between them is where the pressure sits: the appraisal is ordered by the lender, on the lender's timeline, and the buyer is on the hook for a deadline governed by an event they do not control.
And as with everything else in California, the deadline does not enforce itself. Day 18 arrives and the appraisal contingency is still fully in force. What the seller gets is the right to serve a notice to buyer to perform and start a two-day clock.
| Contingency | Default | Protects against |
|---|---|---|
| Appraisal | 17 days | Property valuing below the contract price |
| Loan | 21 days | Buyer being unable to obtain the stated financing |
A low appraisal can cause a loan problem, which is why the two feel like one thing. They are not. A buyer can be fully approved on a property that appraised short, and a buyer can lose financing on a property that appraised over. Each contingency answers a different question and each requires its own removal.
What agents shorten it to. In competitive markets 7 to 14 days is routine, and waiving the appraisal contingency outright is a common way to strengthen an offer. Shortening it does not make the appraisal arrive sooner — it just moves the buyer's decision point earlier, sometimes to before the report exists.
When the number comes in low
The lender lends against the lower of the appraised value or the purchase price. Everything above that line is cash.
Appraisal gap
What a shortfall costs, at a given down payment.
Illustrative only. Loan amount shown is the appraised value less the down payment contribution — actual lender treatment of the gap varies by program.
While the appraisal contingency is still in place, the buyer has three moves: bring the difference in cash, renegotiate the price or ask the seller to split it, or cancel and recover the deposit. Which one makes sense is a cash question, not a contract question, and it is worth having the answer before day 17 rather than during it.
On waiving
Waiving the appraisal contingency is a legitimate competitive strategy and an expensive mistake in roughly equal measure, depending entirely on whether the buyer can actually produce the cash. Giving it up means giving up the right to renegotiate or walk on appraisal grounds — and if the buyer then cannot close, the deposit is exposed.
The middle position is gap coverage with a stated ceiling: the buyer agrees to cover a shortfall up to a specific dollar figure, and retains their rights beyond it. It reads nearly as strong to a listing agent and it caps the downside at a number the buyer chose in advance rather than one the market chose for them.
Common questions
How many days is the appraisal contingency in California?
17 days after acceptance by default under the C.A.R. RPA. It is negotiable, and 7 to 14 days is common in competitive markets. The grid on your contract controls.
Is it the same as the loan contingency?
No. Separate contingencies, separate defaults — appraisal at 17 days, loan at 21 — protecting against different risks. Removing one does not remove the other.
What happens if the appraisal comes in low?
With the contingency active, the buyer can pay the difference in cash, renegotiate, or cancel and generally recover the deposit. The lender will only lend against the lower of appraised value or purchase price.
Does it expire automatically on day 17?
No. It stays in force until removed in writing. The passing deadline gives the seller the right to serve a notice to buyer to perform, which runs at least two more days.
Can the appraisal deadline be extended?
Yes, by written agreement between the parties. Extensions are common when the lender's appraisal has not come back yet, since the buyer is being held to a date for an event they do not control.
Should a buyer waive it?
Only with real cash behind the decision. Gap coverage up to a stated limit is the middle option — it reads strong to the listing side while capping the buyer's exposure at a chosen number.