General

By Mark Conte of Manufactured Housing Compliance Services The US Department of Housing & Urban Development (HUD) published two notices in the January 31, 2020 Federal Register. This post will provide a brief overview of one of these two notices; the final rule announcing changes to the Formaldehyde/Health Notice requirement. While the final rule has several elements, I think there are two big takeaways for manufactured home installers and retailers: 1. The data plate inside the home will start including a note that the manufactured home is compliant with the Title VI, Toxic Substances Control Act. 2. Section 3280.309 of the Manufactured [...]

MHI joined HUD Secretary Ben Carson as he announced updates to the HUD Code and released the final rule on formaldehyde emissions for manufactured homes. The announcements were made following his tour of Clayton’s Southern Homes manufactured home facility in Russellville, Alabama with state Governor Kay Ivey. MHI has been calling for these important updates and the announcement demonstrates that MHI’s advocacy efforts are resulting in impactful and tangible actions by HUD to improve the regulation of manufactured housing. The changes to the HUD Code proposed include removing the requirement for manufacturers to follow the Alternative Construction (AC) approval process for [...]

HUD Issues It's Guidance Memo Regarding How to Evaluate a Tenant/Applicant's Request for an Assistance Animal But Fails to Provide Much Clarity By Tristan R. Pettit On January 28, 2020 HUD published its Memorandum/Notice on how best to assess a tenant/applicant’s request to keep an assistance animal as a reasonable accommodation under the Fair Housing Act. You can find the entire memorandum here. HUD had been promising for months to publish a notice/memorandum that would provide landlords with some clarity when it came to health care provider letters purchased online to support a tenant’s request to keep an assistance animal.  [...]

Manufactured and modular home manufacturing, retail and servicers, and park residents support 26,063 jobs in Wisconsin [Madison, WI] – [January 14, 2020] – A new report issued by the Wisconsin Housing Alliance (WHA) demonstrates the vast economic impact of manufactured and modular housing in Wisconsin. According to the report, three sectors of the manufactured and modular housing industry: manufacturing, retail and servicers and park residents, generate more than $2.65 billion and 26,063 jobs in Wisconsin annually. Developed in partnership with the University of Wisconsin-Whitewater Fiscal & Economic Research Center, the report shows that manufactured home manufacturing has an $185.9 million [...]

By David Finney of Bild Media A Great Website - Did you know that 75% of consumers say that they will judge a business’s credibility based solely off of its website? What does your website say about your business? Does it say that your business is modern, efficient, and offers a great product? Or does it say "Turn up the Backstreet Boys and let's do the Macarena!" As people drive by your lot, they will instantly judge your business based on how it appears from the street. The same happens on the internet: as consumers cruise the web looking for [...]

By Joanne Stevens of NAI Iowa Realty Commercial and Green Lake MHP Eleanor sat down after making a presentation for adding fifty additional mobile home sites to the Whispering Maples Mobile Home Community she managed.  Several people in the city council chambers stood up and applauded.  As Eleanor waited for the roll call vote of the city council members, she thought back to all the city staff, county board of supervisors, state legislators, and city council members that had visited Whispering Maples in the recent months.  The Whispering Maples residents played an important role in getting to this critical point [...]

The Manufactured Housing Institute announced that its Board has chosen Dr. Lesli Gooch as the organization’s next Chief Executive Officer and Mark Bowersox as its President. Lesli and Mark, who currently serve as Executive Vice Presidents at MHI, will succeed current President and CEO Richard Jennison upon his retirement at the end of the year. “During their time at MHI, Lesli and Mark have been highly effective for our industry,” said MHI Board Chairman Tom Hodges. “We are very excited about them taking the helm at MHI and about the future of the organization under their leadership.” The announcement was [...]

Recently, U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) Secretary Ben Carson wrote to Chairman of the U.S. Federal Trade Commission (FTC) Joseph J. Simons and Director of the Bureau of Consumer Protection Andrew Smith requesting that the FTC investigate certain websites that may be selling assistance animal documentation. “These certificates are not an acceptable substitute for authentic documentation provided by medical professionals when appropriate,” said Secretary Carson. “These websites that sell assistance animal certificates are often also misleading by implying that they are affiliated with the federal government. Nothing could be further from the truth. Their goal is to convince individuals [...]

On Thursday, November 21, Governor Evers signed Assembly Bill 117 into law, effectively making it 2019 Wisconsin Act 38. In 2015, Act 211 was implemented with the goal of improving the building permit process; however, many municipalities across the state began requiring home builders and contractors to submit a building permit both electronically and on paper. The purpose of Wisconsin Act 38 is to clarify the duplication that had been occurring in many municipalities. The Wisconsin Builders Association was the driving force behind this bill, proactively advocating for it since March of this year. The Wisconsin Housing Alliance signed in favor [...]

President Trump nominated Brian Montgomery to serve as Deputy Secretary of the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD), the number two position at HUD behind Secretary Carson. Montgomery currently serves as HUD's Assistant Secretary for Housing and the Federal Housing Commissioner. He has served as Acting Deputy Secretary since January. He has been instrumental in elevating the Office of Manufactured Housing Programs' profile within the Department, creating a regulatory environment that encourages innovation and cost-effective construction techniques for manufactured homes. As a champion for affordable housing, Montgomery has prioritized and acted upon initiatives that create opportunities for  families to realize [...]