Angie

The Wisconsin Emergency Rental Assistance Program (WERA) provides up to 18 months of assistance with current or overdue bills to help households that have been impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic avoid eviction. More than 25,000 Wisconsinites have already received help with rent and utilities statewide. Help is still available for eligible households through WISCAP agencies and Energy Services. The program is funded by the Federal Emergency Rental Assistance Program and administered by the Wisconsin Department of Administration. Additional information about the Wisconsin Emergency Rental Assistance Program is available here: https://doa.wi.gov/Pages/WERA.aspx

The homestead credit program is designed to soften the impact of property taxes and rent on persons with lower incomes. Manufactured homeowners who are claiming this credit on their 2021 WI taxes will need a rent certificate from their landlord. The 2021 Rent Certificate needs to be filled out and signed by the landlord. Rent includes the rent for the lot, home, and other fees such as pet fees, garbage fees, utilities or any other fee associated with the occupancy of the residence. DO NOT include late fees, security deposits, payments made directly from government agencies, or Wisconsin Rental Assistance [...]

We are back in-person in 2022 with the Home Installation and Dwelling Contractor Qualifier Seminar on March 9th at the Best Western Premier in Oshkosh, WI. This seminar is approved for 6 hours of continuing education for the following licenses: Manufactured Home Installer, Dwelling Contractor Qualifier, and Home Inspectors (UDC Construction Inspector). Sessions Include: Good Foundations & Installation Leads to Happy Homeowners - Harold Mouser, PFS-TECO Home Installation Safety - George Gruetzmacher - WisCon Key Elements to Home Installation - Cecil Ayllon, Sedco Piers Inc. Proper Manufactured Home Inspections - Jack Wotruba, Dept of Safety and Professional Service Innovations in [...]

The Office of Manufactured Housing Programs (OMHP) has issued extensions for two industry-wide Alternative Construction (AC) letters for exterior doors (21-1W1-AC) and 25-Amp circuit breakers (20-1W2-AC) through June 30, 2022. MHI has been working with OMHP to get these AC letters extended in light of the supply chain challenges. These industry-wide AC letters allows manufacturers that need the flexibility to continue production of affordable housing and does not require individual manufacturers to request approval, saving time, burdens, and costs that would otherwise be incurred with a typical AC letter. Click here and here to read the letters.

Gov. Tony Evers, December 8, celebrated President Joe Biden’s bipartisan infrastructure bill that will expand efforts to deliver safe drinking water to Wisconsinites by infusing approximately $850 million into communities across the state over the next five years. Gov. Evers last month praised the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act as a “Win for Wisconsin.” The federal bill contains an array of expanded programs with substantial, new funding sources for Wisconsin, including $142,703,000 for the 2022 allotment for state revolving loan programs funding water infrastructure projects. The bipartisan infrastructure bill is the largest investment in clean drinking water and wastewater infrastructure [...]

The Federal Trade Commission on October 27, 2021 announced a newly updated rule that strengthens the data security safeguards that financial institutions are required to put in place to protect their customers’ financial information. In recent years, widespread data breaches and cyberattacks have resulted in significant harms to consumers, including monetary loss, identity theft, and other forms of financial distress. The FTC’s updated Safeguards Rule requires non-banking financial institutions, such as mortgage brokers, motor vehicle dealers, and payday lenders, to develop, implement, and maintain a comprehensive security system to keep their customers’ information safe. “Financial institutions and other entities that [...]

The Department of Energy (DOE) has published a proposed rulemaking on energy standards for manufactured housing which, if finalized will eliminate manufactured housing as an affordable housing option for hundreds of thousands of potential homebuyers. The current DOE proposal is fundamentally flawed and must be completely rewritten to ensure manufactured homes remain an available option for American families. The DOE proposal would dramatically increase the costs of manufactured homes, and in some areas of the country, will make the construction and transportation of homes nearly impossible. The proposal uses the 2021 International Energy Conservation Code (IECC), which was developed for commercial [...]

The Wisconsin Housing Alliance Annual Conference is scheduled to be back in-person this year on Tuesday, November 9th and Wednesday, November 10th at the Chula Vista Resort in the Wisconsin Dells. This two-day event is filled with meetings both days, an Exhibitor Reception followed by dinner and presentations, plus plenty of time to network with exhibitors and other members. Registration is open! EARLY REGISTRATION DISCOUNT ENDS OCTOBER 26TH. For more details, check out the event online!

Freddie Mac’s Multifamily Division announced it will require all future manufactured housing community (MHC) transactions to include a series of tenant protections, as defined by the Federal Housing Finance Agency’s (FHFA) Duty to Serve (DTS) regulation. These protections will include renewable lease terms, written notice of rent increases, grace periods for late rental payments, and rights governing the sale of a manufactured home at an MHC. While MHI had worked with consumer groups and proposed standards for consumer lease protections through the DTS process, the intent was for such protections to accompany secondary market support for the financing of homes [...]

The Biden Administration announced it is taking immediate steps to increase affordable housing supply across the country including specific actions to boost the supply of manufactured housing. Specifically, the Administration is looking to expand financing for manufactured housing and is calling on state and local governments to reduce zoning and financing barriers to manufactured housing which “allows families to achieve homeownership and build wealth.” In outlining its planned activities, manufactured housing was the second action listed demonstrating the Administration’s prioritization and commitment to manufactured  housing. Click here to read more. During a call with HUD, FHFA, and Treasury, senior agency [...]