General

MHI members from across the nation descended on our Nation’s Capitol in early June to meet with their Senators and Representatives to discuss important issues facing the manufactured housing industry. MHI’s members, from more than 20 states and representing companies that conduct business throughout the country, met with more than 100 congressional offices to talk about the need to update the HUD Code and Federal Housing Administration programs, and to renew the ENERGY STAR program. Executive Director, Amy Bliss and Board Member, Rick Rand spent the day talking with several legislators and their staff.  They visited Rep. Sensenbrenner, Rep. Glenn [...]

On June 20, 2019, the House Ways and Means Committee approved legislation that would provide a retroactive renewal and extension of many expired—but significant—housing tax provisions, including the Energy-Efficient New Home Tax Credit (45L tax credit). MHI has been a consistent voice on Capitol Hill advocating strongly for the extension of the 45L tax credit. Most recently, the 45L tax credit was a key talking point during MHI’s Legislative Fly-In earlier this month. MHI has continually worked with House and Senate tax committees to advocate for the annual extension of the credit. Introduced by Rep. Mike Thompson (D-CA), the Taxpayer Certainty [...]

By Attorney Tristan Pettit A while ago I wrote a post in which I recommended that landlords retain a denied rental applicant's application and related paperwork for at least 2 years from the date of denial.  This post will focus on the situation where the landlord has accepted the applicant, the applicant was your tenant, and now their tenancy has ended for whatever reason.  Under this scenario, how long should a landlord hold on to a past-tenant's rental documents (which would include the lease or month to month rental agreement, nonstandard rental provisions document, pet addendum etc. etc.)? The answer to [...]

By EMC Insurance For many businesses, hiring young workers is an important way to maximize productivity during the summer months. Without the extra help from teens and young adults, jobs like mowing, painting, maintenance and miscellaneous tasks might not be achievable. Younger workers are often energetic and excited to tackle new tasks, but did you know they’re also more likely to get injured on the job? Based on studies of emergency room visits, the injury rate for workers under the age of 25 is approximately twice that of workers 25 and older. This summer, keep your young employees safe on the [...]

Since 1983, the Wisconsin Housing Alliance (and its predecessor associations) have endorsed an insurance program underwritten by EMC Insurance Companies as a benefit available to Community and Retail division members.  The menu of policies and coverages in the program are designed to address property and liability insurance needs of these member entities.  The program is exclusively marketed and serviced by agents of The Horton Group. In March, the Wisconsin Housing Alliance, EMC and The Horton Group were pleased to distribute to participating members a Safety Group dividend totaling $166,310. This feature of the insurance program provides participants an opportunity to [...]

”It took my Mom 17 years to build up the park, and suddenly, we lost it all.” May 16th is the two-year anniversary of the devastating tornado that tore through Prairie Lake Estates in Chetek, Wisconsin.  The tornado had a path length of 83 miles, making it one of the longest track tornadoes ever to have occurred in Wisconsin (since records began in 1950). The tornado was upgraded to an EF3 just to the east of Chetek in Rusk County. 231 homes and four commercial properties were damaged by the storm, creating an estimated 10 million dollars in damage (not [...]

The Accredited Community Managers (ACM®) program is a comprehensive study of manufactured home community management topics.  A broad range of topics are covered during the training, including management and resident policies, community maintenance, leasing and sales techniques, marketing, taxes, insurance, financial management, business planning, physical asset management, federal laws and fair housing law. The Manufactured Housing Educational Institute (MHEI) is proud to now offer Course 1 of the Accredited Community Managers (ACM®) training online for Community Managers.  Courses start at $250.  Click here for more information. Community owners, managers and others in key management roles within a manufactured home community [...]

The Manufactured Housing Institute (MHI) recently commissioned an in-depth consumer research project about the demographics, perceptions, and  preferences of manufactured homeowners and residents. MHI worked with Trifecta Research for the study, and the findings provide exciting insights into a variety of topics and market trends, including the characteristics and satisfaction of individuals who live in manufactured homes across the country. This extensive independent research study of manufactured housing residents reveals positive signs for future growth. For example, a notable finding from the research is the level of satisfaction that individuals feel regarding their decision to live in a manufactured home. [...]

Telemarketing complaints are on the rise (4,860 complaints) and continue to top the annual list of consumer complaints collected by the Wisconsin Department of Agriculture, Trade and Consumer Protection (DATCP).  More than two out of every five complaints received by the agency in 2018 were in regard to calls from unknown numbers, unwanted sales calls or scam calls.  This represents a 17% increase in telemarketing complaints over 2017. “Consumers are frustrated with the amount of unwanted calls that they receive,” said Lara Sutherlin, administrator for the Division of Trade and Consumer Protection.  “At best, these calls are a disruptive nuisance; [...]

If you have employees, you may have heard that you should keep  employee files, also called personnel files.  You may know that there is a state law requiring employers to allow employees to view their own files.  But, what exactly should you keep in them?  What should you do with the files?  What other responsibilities do you have with respect to these files?  These 12 questions and answers provide an overview. What should I put in employee files?  Employees’ right to inspect includes documents which are used, or which have been used, to determine qualifications for employment, promotion, transfer, additional [...]