Manufactured housing is the largest form of unsubsidized affordable housing in the U.S. and the only type of housing built to a federal construction and safety standard (the HUD Code). The HUD Code’s single regulatory framework for home design and construction includes standards for health, safety, energy efficiency, and durability. The affordability of manufactured homes enables individuals to obtain housing that is often much less expensive than renting or financing the purchase of a site-built home. Manufacturers deliver high-quality HUD Code homes with designs and features consumers want at attainable price points. Today, 22 million people live in manufactured housing and the industry employs tens of thousands of Americans nationwide.
With manufactured housing homebuilding facilities located across the United States employing hundreds of thousands of workers, and manufactured housing communities located in all 50 states, manufactured housing is making the dream of homeownership possible.
MHI PRIORITIES
Energy Standards for Manufactured Housing
Ensure the federal government’s energy efficiency standards for manufactured housing are realistic and keep homes affordable.
Ensure HUD is the sole regulator of manufactured housing construction standards, including energy.
Financing
Ensure federal financing programs that support homeownership include manufactured housing.
Support state associations with legislative and regulatory advocacy impacting consumer financing.
Zoning
Include manufactured housing in federal efforts to eliminate exclusionary local land-use policies.
Strengthen HUD’s policy and engagement regarding zoning and preemption.
Support efforts at the state and local level to overcome zoning and land-use barriers.
HUD Code
Finalize pending HUD Code updates and ensure a more regular cadence for HUD Code updates.
Delete the requirement in federal law that manufactured homes are only those built on a permanent chassis and ensure changes to HUD Code and state statutes to facilitate a regulatory process for new home types built to the federal code.
Land-Lease Communities
Educate policymakers about the benefits of land-lease communities.
Ensure that federal actions to support affordable housing include support for land-lease communities.
Combat efforts to impose national landlord-tenant policies.
Support state associations with pending legislative and regulatory proposals that impact land-lease communities.
