RSRA order terms

1. What you are ordering

An RSRA (Records Search with Risk Assessment) is a desktop review of environmental records for one property, prepared to meet the definition in SBA SOP 50 10 8.1, Appendix 4. It is not a Phase I Environmental Site Assessment. There is no site visit, it does not meet ASTM E1527-21 or the All Appropriate Inquiries rule, and it does not provide CERCLA landowner liability protections.

• One order covers one property: up to three touching parcels with the same current use, about 5 acres or less.
• Parcels that do not touch, larger sites, and other collateral at a different location each need their own review. We confirm scope and quote before any charge.
• The report gives a Low Risk or Elevated Risk call, a one-page lender summary with the next step SBA requires, and the database and historical sources reviewed.

2. Price and payment

Work starts once payment is confirmed. Prices are in US dollars, for one property at standard SBA scope.

• Card at order. When the order form confirms a single-site scope, your card is charged when you place the order. Payments are processed by Square.
• Scope review or quote. If the form routes your order to a scope review or a quote, nothing is charged. We confirm scope within one business day and send a payment link.
• Borrower pays. We send the borrower a Square payment link. Work starts when it is paid.
• Invoice. Lenders and CDCs that must be invoiced receive a QuickBooks invoice, payable by card or ACH. The turnaround clock starts when we confirm the order, and the report is released when the invoice is paid.
• If an order arrives without payment, we send a payment link and start when it is paid.

3. Turnaround

Standard delivery is three business days; rush is 24 to 48 hours, counted in business days.

• The clock starts on the business day the order is paid and scope is confirmed. For invoiced orders, it starts when we confirm the order.
• Orders received after 5 pm Pacific count from the next business day.
• Business days exclude weekends and holidays.
• If the Environmental Questionnaire is missing anything, we tell you the same day. We keep working, but the report is delivered only once a complete, signed questionnaire is in hand, and the delivery date moves by the days we wait for it.

4. What we need from you

We rely on the information you give at order, so please make sure it is complete and accurate.

• The property address, city, state and ZIP, and each APN if there is more than one parcel.
• The loan program, loan amount, lender, and CDC for 504 loans.
• The SBA Environmental Questionnaire, signed by the current owner or operator. SBA requires the questionnaire and the RSRA to be dated within one year of the date the SBA loan number is issued.
• Accurate answers to the scope and current or past use questions on the order form.
• The names the report should list for reliance.

5. If the property needs a Phase I

Within 75 miles of Santa Cruz, including the Bay Area and Santa Clara County, your RSRA fee is credited toward a Phase I ESA we perform. Farther out, the outcome depends on when the need shows up.

Under SBA SOP 50 10 8.1, an RSRA result other than Low Risk means the lender must obtain a Phase I ESA. A Transaction Screen does not meet this.

6. Cancellations and refunds

You can cancel any time before we start work for a full refund.

• Scope reviews and quote requests are never charged, so there is nothing to refund.
• After records are ordered, we refund the fee less the database cost.
• A duplicate charge for the same order is refunded in full.
• Refunds go back to the card or account that paid, through Square or QuickBooks.

7. Reliance and use of the report

The report is prepared for the lender named at order, and the CDC for 504 loans, for use in underwriting that loan.

• The lender, the CDC, the third-party lender on 504 loans, and SBA may use and rely on the report in connection with that loan. They are named in the report's reliance paragraph.
• No other party may rely on the report without Geare Group Consulting's written authorization.
• SBA does not require a reliance letter for an RSRA (SOP 50 10 8.1, Appendix 4), so none is issued.

8. Limitations

The review relies on public records, environmental database reports, historical sources and the questionnaire, as available on the review date.

• We review third-party data with reasonable care but do not independently verify it. Conditions at the property can change after the review.
• The report does not include lead testing for a child-occupied facility built before 1978, which SBA requires separately.
• Our total liability for an order is limited to the fee paid for that order.
• Geare Group Consulting carries professional liability insurance of $1M per claim and $2M aggregate.
• These terms are governed by the laws of the State of California, with venue in Santa Cruz County.

9. Contact

Geare Group Consulting, Santa Cruz, California. Orders and questions: [email protected] or (831) 818-6295.