Federal Data Spotlights Manufactured Home Industry Quality, Regulatory Questions

WASHINGTON, D.C. – With over 81,100 manufactured homes built last year, more than 99.99 percent of all manufactured home buyers had service issues satisfied through normal channels provided by their home’s builder, retailer, community, or installer.

Pamela Beck Danner, JD, is the federal administrator for the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) Office of Manufactured Housing Programs. Danner informed a group of industry professionals in Wisconsin that fewer than 30 of the tens of thousands of manufactured homes built annually went to dispute resolution in the last year.

A D.C. metro source confirmed for MHLivingNews.com that the exact number of claims that went to dispute resolution was only 13.  With 81,136 new manufactured homes built in 2016, that means that over 99.99 percent of home buyers had any service claims satisfied through routine channels.

Bill Matchneer, J.D. – a previous administrator for the HUD Code manufactured home program, told MHLivingNews that a miniscule number of consumer complaints going to dispute resolution has been the pattern for several years.

Matchneer was interviewed by Inside MH, to see that video interview, click here.

For homes that U.S. Census Bureau research states are about half the cost of traditional, on-site construction, the results ought to be seen as impressive, says the Manufactured Housing Association for Regulatory Reform (MHARR).

But the independent producers association is concerned that in spite of high quality, that their federal regulator is wasting money that ends up costing consumers.

“At a time when those manufacturers are producing their best homes ever – as demonstrated by minimal dispute resolution program referrals — the program continues to lavish funding on entrenched contractors for make-work activity that needlessly increases home prices while providing few or no benefits for consumers,” M. Mark Weiss, President and CEO of the Manufactured Housing Association for Regulator Reform (MHARR), told MHLivingNews.

The latest report from MHLivingNews, which also includes a video interview with a state inspector of manufactured housing, plus a link to a

third-party manufactured home owner satisfaction report, is found linked here. ##

(Photo Captions: Pam Danner, JD – top right – addressing a manufactured housing association meeting. M. Mark Weiss, JD – center right- MHARR. Louisville Manufactured Housing Show – bottom right. Kitchen and Dining in model by Sunshine Homes, Red Bay, AL. Photo credits, MHLivingNews.com.)

(Editor’s Note: The above is adapted from a media release by MHLivingNews.com that was picked up by the Digital Journal and hundreds of other news, special interest, social media and other websites.  This is the kind of genunie news that the industry needs to promote, as opposed to faked or weaponized news.)

Submitted by Soheyla Kovach to the Daily Business News, on MHProNews.com.