(a) Except as provided in this subpart, Directors, Loan Guaranty Officers, and Assistant Loan Guaranty Officers, VA Regional Offices, are authorized to approve a repair program for any VA property acquired under Chapter 37, Title 38, U.S.C., if the cost does not exceed $25,000. A repair program means the aggregate amount of the proposed contracts that are contemplated in a property analysis by the Loan Guaranty activity.

(b) In cases where the expenditure is known or estimated to exceed $25,000, the Loan Guaranty Officer, or his or her designee, must forward the request, together with the loan guaranty folder, to the Under Secretary for Benefits for approval.

(c) During the period when VA has assumed custody of the property from a holder and before its conveyance to VA under 38 CFR 36.4320, repairs not in excess of $3,500 are authorized, when appropriate to make the property ready for sale at an earlier date than would otherwise be possible if the repair program was delayed until VA acquired absolute title. In cases where the expenditure is known or estimated to exceed $3,500, the Loan Guaranty Officer, or his or her designee, must forward the request, together with the loan guarantee folder, to the Under Secretary for Benefits for approval.

(d) The holder must not make repairs to a property when it has continued custody, except for emergency repairs not in excess of $500, unless the holder gives adequate notice to the Director, Regional Office. Emergency repairs means immediate action to preserve the property from serious damage or to correct a situation imminently dangerous to life or limb, including the initial cleanup of the property to prevent the risk of damage by fire or vandalism.

(e) An approved management broker may be authorized, when the property is assigned, to incur expenses for fuel and utilities or other recurring items that VA is required to furnish to its tenants or are required to maintain the property if the following conditions are met:

(1) Advance blanket authorization to a management broker must be limited to repairs not in excess of $500 in any transaction.

(2) The management broker must either submit receipts with an invoice or maintain receipts for inspection.

(3) Expenditures in excess of $500 require prior approval of the Director, Regional Office, having jurisdiction of the property.

(4) The management broker must aggregate the costs of repairs when determining whether prior approval is required.