Manufactured Home Inspections and HUD Engineering Certification Reports
Manufactured Homes are built from 1976 and on when the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) standards became effective. The HUD standards improved the quality, safety, and energy efficiency of the homes.
A manufactured home is built to the Manufactured Home Construction and Safety Standards and displays a certification label on the exterior of each transportable section. Manufactured homes are built in the controlled environment of a manufacturing plant and are transported in one or more sections on a permanent chassis.
Manufactured homes have exterior certification labels and an interior data plate where Mobile and Modular homes do not.
HUD Certification Label
HUD Data Sheet
The current HUD Permanent Foundation Guide for Manufactured housing is dated September of 1996. The guidelines specify many things in regards to the construction of Manufactured Homes. Manufactured Home Construction and Safety Standards mandate federal standards for design, construction, and installation of manufactured homes to assure the quality, durability, safety, and affordability of manufactured homes.
HUD issues and enforces appropriate standards for the construction, design, performance, and installation of manufactured homes to assure their quality, durability, affordability, and safety. The construction and safety standards preempt state and local laws that are not identical to the federal standards; they apply to all manufactured homes produced after June 15, 1976. HUD may enforce these standards directly or by various states that have established state administrative agencies in order to participate in the program. HUD may inspect factories and retailer lots and review records to enforce such standards. If a manufactured home does not conform to federal standards, the manufacturer must take certain actions, including possibly notifying the consumer and correcting the problem.
Homes built prior to June 15, 1976, even with modifications, do not meet the HUD standards and cannot be accepted as compliant with the HUD Code. FHA does not insure mortgages on manufactured homes built prior to June 15, 1976. Most other mortgage insurance firms follow FHA’s policy.
The statute generally prohibits selling, leasing, or offering for sale or lease, homes that do not meet the standards. Civil and criminal penalties may be sought for violations of the statute.
HUD also administers programs regulating the installation of the homes, reviewing the installation standard programs that 35 states have, and administering a federal installation program in the other 15 states. HUD also reviews the administration of state dispute resolution programs in 35 states and administers a HUD dispute resolution program in the other 15 states.
To conduct a structural inspection for determining:
- If the MFD home is permanently tied down, and
- That the home would not float off the piers or foundation,
- That the drainage of the house will not flood the crawlspace or basement.
Decks, porches and room additions are regulated by the construction codes for each state and/or local housing authority. If the property has an addition attached after the home was sited, the attachment is not regulated by HUD Standards or Regulations. If an addition has been added to a manufactured home, it may take the home out of conformance with the Standards.
There are two different inspections. The main one is the Permanent Foundation Inspection and the other is for additions, decks, porches, alterations. Your lender will know which of the inspections you will need to be done. Feel free to contact Honor Services if we can be of assistance we would be happy to help with your Manufactured Home tie-down inspection and certification.
