Manufactured Housing Facts

Manufactured homes have come a long way since the do-it-yourself “house kits” available through companies such as Sears, Roebuck and Company or the “trailer coaches” that were introduced in the 1920s to serve American travelers who wanted a ready-made place to sleep when they arrived at a campsite. Let’s take a look at some facts about manufactured housing:

What is a manufactured home?

There are a number of types of non-site-built homes, all quite different from the other.
Manufactured home:

A manufactured home is built entirely in a factory under federal code administered by the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD), which went into effect June 15, 1976. These laws cover single-section or multi-section homes and include transport to the site and installation. Regulations include design and construction, strength and durability, transportability, fire resistance, energy efficiency, and quality.

Mobile home: This is the term applied to homes built prior to June 15, 1976, when the HUD code went into effect.

Modular home: These homes are built to state, local, or regional codes where the home will be located. Multi-section units are transported to sites and installed.

Panelized home: A home built in a factory, where panels, windows, doors, wiring, and siding are transported to the site and assembled. Codes are set by state or locality where sited.

Pre-cut home: The materials are factory-cut to design specifications and then transported to the site and assembled. Examples are kit, log, and dome homes. State and local governments set the standards and codes for these homes.

How has the industry evolved?

Through the 1960s, manufactured housing products were typically known as trailers. By the 1970s, the name changed to mobile homes. The products continued to evolve, and by the 1990s were known as manufactured homes. Though these homes can be placed anywhere where local zoning allows, a substantial number are in purpose-developed communities—and those communities have experienced an image and terminology transformation as well, going from trailer courts to mobile home parks to manufactured home communities.

Annual production of manufactured homes is approximately 300,000 new units per year, and is expected to reach 400,000 new homes annually by 2007.

Who can install a manufactured home?
Most states have laws governing the installation of manufactured homes. Check with your state’s department of professional regulation, public service commission, or local building department to get more information.

What is a HUD label and why is it important?
The HUD label is an identification tag that is issued to manufactured homes constructed after June 15, 1976. Homeowners often remove these labels because they are bright red (although they will fade to gray over time) and not particularly attractive. However, technically the home cannot be occupied or offered for sale if the HUD label is missing.

If you want to buy, sell, insure, or transport a home without a HUD label, you’ll need to apply to HUD for a letter of label verification. The information HUD needs to provide this letter can be found on a data plate inside the home in one of three locations: on or near the main electrical panel, in a kitchen cabinet, or in a bedroom closet. Requests for label verification may be faxed to the Office of Manufactured Housing Programs at (202) 708-4213 or e-mailed to mhs@hud.gov.

Are manufactured homes more vulnerable to damage from tornadoes and hurricanes?

While mobile homes have often been jokingly called tornado magnets, there is no meteorological or scientific basis to that theory. The reason for reports of damage to manufactured homes from tornadoes is simple: Tornadoes are most likely to occur in rural and suburban areas—the same areas where manufactured housing is largely found.

When Hurricane Andrew devastated South Florida in 1992 by destroying or damaging thousands of manufactured and site-built homes, valuable lessons were learned. The standards for manufactured homes in areas prone to hurricane-force winds are now equivalent to or more stringent than the current regional and national building codes for site-built homes in those high wind zones. The result of the change in standards was evident when Hurricane Charley hit areas with high numbers of manufactured home communities in Florida in August 2004; newer homes suffered less damaged than older ones.

Proper installation and anchoring of the home is always a key element in how a manufactured home will perform in severe weather situations.

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