Legal Question in Administrative Law in California

Re: Property Appraisal

It's a question of contract, and I'd say there are three possibilities:

1. You contracted directly with the appraiser (not likely, but possible).

2. The lender contracted with the appraiser, and you did not contract with the lender to reimburse it.

3, The lender contracted with the appraiser, and you in turn contracted with the lender to reimburse it if you did not borrow from it.

There is a fourth possibility, that you contracted to pay for the appraisal whether or not you borrowed.

I'd say #3 is the most likely, but you need to look at your contracts (the loan application may contain contractual promises) to see what you agreed to do.