Mobile Homes: HUD approves manufactured homes
By LEN BONIFIELD
© St. Petersburg Times
published November 23, 2002
Second of two parts.
It's no wonder there is confusion about the definition of a manufactured home.
When I began my research to answer a reader's question -- "What is the definition of a mobile home and how does it differ from a manufactured home?" -- I decided to go to the experts.
I asked three officers from the Federation of Manufactured Home Owners of Florida for their answer. Though their responses were similar, there were differences. If the experts differ, the rest of us have every right to be confused about what a manufactured home is.
Several years ago, the Federation of Manufactured Home Owners of Florida changed its name from Federation of Mobile Homes to more represent its members and the homes they own. Most new factory-built homes in Florida are "manufactured homes."
They are built to Department of Housing and Urban Development standards. They bear the HUD tag. They are moved to a site and tied down to the ground.
They can be moved later, but then so can most "stick-built" homes. It is an expensive proposition to move either a manufactured home or a stick-built home. I am told the cost can range from $8,000 to $20,000 to move a manufactured home. Requirements in each community vary as to what must be done to make the move.
In some communities the homeowners must remove the driveway, carport and foundation for the screen room, and return the lot to its original condition. This expense, combined with the state's requirements for "tying down" a manufactured home, make that home quite permanent.
So what is the confusion with the term "mobile home"? This is a common term that has been used for years. Any home that had wheels when it left the factory was considered a mobile home.
Too many people ignore the reality that a manufactured home, once placed in a community, becomes almost as permanent a fixture as a stick-built home. They ignore that calling today's manufactured homes (some of which cost more than $100,000) "mobile homes" or referring to their communities as "trailer parks" is insulting to their owners.
We can simplify things greatly if we adopt the HUD code definition for manufactured homes and mobile homes. According to HUD, manufactured homes are "homes built entirely in the factory under a federal building code administered by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development."
A manufactured home will have more than six factory-installed tiedown locations; two or more entrance doors; be built to withstand a preset wind velocity; and bear an aluminum tag stating that it was built to HUD standards.
The term "mobile home" is used for factory-built homes produced before June 15, 1976, when the HUD code went into effect. These homes were built to voluntary standards that were eventually enforced by the states.
Still confused? I hope not. It's safe to say that most of the homes in the communities you drive by are manufactured homes that meet the definitions set by HUD.
- Send comments or questions to Len Bonifield at elb@gate.net, or fax to (863) 853-8023, or phone (863) 858-1557. Please include your e-mail and mailing address. Because of the volume of mail and phone calls, he can't respond personally to every query. Bonifield is a manufactured-home resident and a past HOA president and former officer of the FMO District 1 board of directors.
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