HOUSING,
DEPARTMENT OF HOUSING AND URBAN DEVELOPMENT
AUTHORIZATION:
National
Manufactured Housing Construction and Safety Standards Act, Title
VI, Public Law 93-383; 42 U.S.C. 5401 et seq., as amended; Public
Laws 95-128 and 96-3.
To
protect the quality, durability, safety and affordability of manufactured
homes; to facilitate the availability of affordable manufactured
homes and to increase home ownership for all Americans; to provide
for the establishment of practical, uniform, and, to the extent
possible, performance-based Federal construction standards for manufactured
homes; to encourage innovative and cost-effective construction techniques
for manufactured homes; and to protect residents of manufactured
homes with respect to personal injuries and the amount of insurance
costs and property damages in manufactured housing.
TYPES
OF ASSISTANCE:
Dissemination of Technical Information. Place Cursor Here for Definition
Investigation of Complaints. Place Cursor Here for Definition
USES
AND USE RESTRICTIONS:
Manufacturers
who build "manufactured homes" as defined by the Act, for sale in
the United States are subject to the Act and must comply with preemptive
Federal Manufactured Home Construction and Safety Standards (24
CFR 3280). Designs of homes are reviewed for compliance, and homes
are inspected during construction by HUD-approved third-party inspection
agencies. Consumers receiving defective homes have recourse, ranging
from the right to be notified that their home contains a defect,
to correction by the manufacturer of serious defects and imminent
safety hazards. Dealers are prohibited from selling homes which
they know are not in compliance with the Federal Standards. In addition,
recent changes to the Act now require the Department, within 5 years
of the date of enactment, to establish model installation standards
for siting new manufactured homes and a program to administer and
enforce those Standards. During the interim, States may continue
to enforce existing requirements for installation of new manufactured
homes. However, States and manufacturers are prohibited from establishing
or implementing new installation standards which provide less protection
to manufactured home residents then were previously in effect. While
these installation standards will cover the joining of all sections,
anchoring, stabilizing and support systems, and foundations on which
the homes are sited, they do not provide jurisdiction over on-site
improvements such as utilities, driveways, porches, etc.
ELIGIBILITY
REQUIREMENTS:
Applicant
Eligibility: Any purchaser of a manufactured
home built on or after June 15, 1976, for residential use is automatically
covered by the program.
Beneficiary
Eligibility: Any purchaser of a residential
manufactured home built on or after June 15, 1976.
Credentials/Documentation:
None required for the purchaser. This program is excluded from
coverage under OMB Circular No. A-87.
Pre-application
Coordination: Not required. This program is
excluded from coverage under E.O. 12372.
Application
Procedure: Manufacturers must have designs
for each manufactured home model to be produced, reviewed and
approved by a HUD- approved third-party design inspection agency.
Each home must be inspected during at least one phase of construction
and every stage of manufacturing process inspected by a third-party
in-plant inspection entity. A purchaser may file a complaint with
HUD or a HUD-approved State Administrative Agency (SAA). This
program is excluded from coverage under OMB Circular Nos. A-102
and A-110.
Award
Procedure: Unless defects or noncompliance
with the standards are found in homes, manufacturers may label
and retailers may sell the units. If a purchaser complains, HUD
or an SAA may request an investigation by the manufacturer or
the dealer, and may then initiate enforcement actions under applicable
regulations (24 CFR 3282). In addition, recent changes to the
Act require the Department, within 5 years of the date of enactment,
to establish a dispute resolution program to provide for the timely
resolution of disputes between manufacturers, installers, and
retailers regarding responsibility for repairs. However, no rules
have yet to be established for the new dispute resolution program.
Deadlines:
Each manufactured home must bear a manufacturer's certification
label, certifying compliance with the Federal Standards, before
the home can be sold to a retailer or purchaser.
Range
of Approval/Disapproval Time: Not applicable.
Appeals:
A manufacturer may appeal a preliminary determination, and be
granted a hearing or presentation of views by HUD or by a State
Administrative Agency (SAA) whenever homes are identified as having
"serious defects" or "imminent safety hazards," and notification
or correction would be required under the regulations.
Renewals:
Not applicable.
ASSISTANCE
CONSIDERATIONS:
Formula
and Matching Requirements: Not applicable.
Length
and Time Phasing of Assistance: Not applicable.
POST
ASSISTANCE REQUIREMENTS:
Reports:
Not applicable.
Audits:
Not applicable.
Records:
A dealer is required, after selling a manufactured home, to fill
out an information card listing the name of the purchaser and
the home's location, and to send it to the home manufacturer.
A manufacturer is required to maintain records relating to each
home's production and service related work.
Regulatory oversight of over 200,000 Manufactured homes per year.
REGULATIONS,
GUIDELINES, AND LITERATURE:
Manufactured Home Construction and Safety Standards appear in the
Code of Federal Regulations at 24 CFR 3280, et seq.; Manufactured
Home Procedural and Enforcement Regulations appear at 24 CFR 3282,
et seq.
INFORMATION
CONTACTS:
Regional
or Local Office: None.
Headquarters
Office: Office of Single Family Housing (HU),
Office of Consumer and Regulatory Affairs (HUC), Manufactured
Housing and Standards Division (HUCM), Room 9152, Department of
Housing and Urban Development, Washington, DC 20410-8000. Telephone:
(202) 708-6409. FAX: (202) 708-4213. Toll-free consumer hotline
(leave message only): 1-800- 927-2891. Internet address: mhs@hud.gov.
Web
Site Address: http://www.hud.gov/progdesc/snglindx.html
