The Manufactured Housing Association for Regulatory Reform (MHARR) told MHProNews some weeks ago that they look forward to working with the incoming HUD Secretary and Trump Administration 2.0. MHARR provided the letter that follows in Part I, along with other items shown as attachments. Needless to say, the Manufactured Housing Institute (MHI) also has their engagement plans with recently confirmed HUD Secretary E. Scott Turner. Among the differences? MHI, despite their claims of representing “all segments” of the industry has been observed by people and artificial intelligence alike as being essentially duplicitous and lacking in transparency and consistency. By contrast, MHARR has been consistent and persistent in its stated goals and its subsequent transparently providing their engagement with the industry and others interested in solving the affordable housing crisis.
Part I will be MHARR’s letter as shown.
Part II will be a screen shot of MHI’s news section on 2.8.2025 at about noon eastern plus a LinkedIn post by MHI.
Part III will be additional information with more Masthead on MHProNews analysis and commentary.
As a disclaimer, MHProNews created the media release image below, it is not the official one used by MHARR. The letter that follows was obviously sent using MHARR’s letterhead. FWIW, we like ours better, thus its use below and elsewhere.
Part I – Letter from MHARR to incoming Trump 2.0 HUD Secretary E. Scott Turner
February 6, 2025
VIA FEDERAL EXPRESS
Hon. Scott Turner
Secretary
U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development
Suite 10000
451 Seventh Street, S.W.
Washington, D.C. 20410
Dear Secretary Turner:
On behalf of the Manufactured Housing Association for Regulatory Reform (MHARR) and its members, and as a follow-up to our communication to you dated November 25, 2024, please accept our congratulations, once again, on your confirmation to serve as Secretary of the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD).
MHARR, as we noted previously, is a Washington, D.C.-based national trade association representing the views and interests of producers of manufactured housing subject to federal regulation by HUD pursuant to the National Manufactured Housing Construction and Safety Standards Act of 1974, as amended by the Manufactured Housing Improvement Act of 2000 (2000 Reform Law)(42 U.S.C. 5401, et seq.). MHARR’s members are primarily smaller and medium-sized independent businesses from all regions of the United States.
We look forward to further introducing ourselves and meeting with you soon to address the three major manufactured housing industry concerns explained in greater detail in recent MHARR communications to you, including: the revocation of last-minute Biden Administration appointments to the Manufactured Housing Consensus Committee (January 22, 2025); the withdrawal and rejection of excessive, destructive and unnecessary Biden-Era “energy conservation” standards for manufactured homes (January 23, 2025); but most importantly, discriminatory and exclusionary zoning mandates targeting manufactured homes and the endemic mismanagement of the HUD program, including excessive dependence on an entrenched 50-year contractor (January 30, 2025). As we will discuss with you in person, these matters, in combination, have severely impacted the manufactured housing industry, preventing it from reaching its full potential, while depriving American consumers – and most particularly lower and moderate-income consumers – from achieving the American Dream of homeownership.
Accordingly, we look forward to working with you to bring this crucial HUD program into full compliance with all applicable law, as well as President Trump’s vision for a federal government that is more efficient, effective and, most importantly, fully responsive, in meeting the needs and wants of hard-working American citizens.
Again, please accept our sincere congratulations, and we shall call your office soon to schedule a meeting with you.
Sincerely,
Mark Weiss
President and CEO
Part II – From MHI
1) As of 2.8.2025 at about noon Eastern there was no items on MHI’s website about the confirmation of E. Scott Turner as HUD Secretary.
Part III – Additional Facts, Evidence, and Related Information with More MHProNews Analysis and Masthead Commentary
1) You simply can’t make up the irony of MHI documenting just how contradictory their own claims and postures are. For example, from the MHI LinkedIn social media feed is the following.
2) This Masthead writer for MHProNews posted the following in response to the item above.
3) The graphic in the bottom left above is shown in a larger size below.
4) The more complete graphic that is cropped from is linked here. More detailed ones with more quotes and screen shots are found at this link here and here. The screen shot below of higher profile MHI members Equity LifeStyle Properties (ELS) and Sun Communities (SUI) There is no known response to MHProNews’ inquiries to MHI and their higher profile corporate leaders that tend to dominate their board of directors to the concerns raised about the apparently self-contradictory claims and behavior of MHI posturing for industry growth and MHI behavior. Note: depending on your device or browser, in many cases, you can click on an image shown above or below and follow the prompts to open it in a larger size and thus see the details more easily.
5) It has been over a decade since Tim Williams, president and CEO of Berkshire Hathaway owned 21st Mortgage Corporation and prior MHI chairman, responded to an inquiry by this writer during an MHI meeting. Why not sue HUD to get the enhanced preemption provision of the Manufactured Housing Improvement Act (a.k.a.: MHIA, MHIA 2000, 2000 Reform Law, 2000 Reform Act) enforced? Williams smiled and said that ‘We may have to do that, but we want to try a few things first.’ Is a decade long enough, Tim and other MHI leaders, to try all the different things that you had in mind before you litigate? Or was that just a smiling and seemingly polite stall tactic?
MHI’s own records reveal that the industry is consolidating. When MHProNews began to use MHI produced evidence in our reporting to show the disconnects between their words and behavior, several things occurred. In no particular order of importance.
a) MHI cancelled the membership of MHProNews’ parent company in MHI. Apparently, MHI did not want questions asked during a meeting that may not fit the MHI narrative. While MHI refunded that year’s membership, they didn’t refund the other years or expenses, which is arguably due if MHI is merely posturing instead of acting sincerely to obtain robust industry growth. For example. A decade has now elapsed since MHProNews’ inquiry to Williams and MHI that resulted in a video recorded statement by then MHI president and CEO Richard “Dick” Jennison, when he said that the industry could achieve 500,000 new HUD Code manufactured home sales annually instead of the last highwater mark of some 373,143 (which he mistakenly indicated was about 372,000). Well, a decade later, the industry managed to finish at just over 20 percent of Jennison’s goal by producing 103,314 new HUD Code manufactured homes in 2024. You can see and hear Jennison make that statement in the video posted on the page linked below.
b) Before cancelling our parent company’s membership, MHI began posting signs like the ones shown below at their meetings. By doing so, apparently MHI was implying this publication, because the others did not dare question MHI at their own meetings, regardless of how respectfully those question may have been uttered.
c) Before MHI apparently acted to bar us from meeting that they appeared, several efforts were made in public settings to get MHI to answer very specific questions on their behaviors and apparent failures to act.
d) If MHI leaders get tongue tied answering questions live, they could answer questions digitally. Watch to see if they respond to the questions and concerns posted above on LinkedIn. But based on historic patterns, don’t hold your breath.
e) MHI only sued in the DOE Energy Rule case after MHARR, MHProNews, and MHLivingNews worked in a sustained fashion to keep MHI’s lack of litigation in the industry’s focus.
f) MHI’s media relations professional won’t answer questions. Neither will MHI CEO Lesli Gooch, nor will William “Bill” Boor who also leads Cavco Industries (CVCO). Yet, some years ago, leaders at some of those same organizations praised this publication for being pro-industry, accurate, and pro-growth.
g) MHI has demonstrably failed to do what common sense calls for; but who says? How about according to left-leaning Bing’s AI powered Copilot.
So, if HUD Secretary Turner or a trusted member of his team is reading this, keep in mind the history of MHI with Trump 1.0 and Biden-Harris (D).
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Stay tuned for more of what is ‘behind the curtains’ as well as what is obvious and in your face reporting that are not found anywhere else in MHVille. It is all here, which may explain why this is the runaway largest and most-read source for authentic manufactured home “News through the lens of manufactured homes and factory-built housing” © where “We Provide, You Decide.” © ## (Affordable housing, manufactured homes, reports, fact-checks, analysis, and commentary. Third-party images or content are provided under fair use guidelines for media.) (See Related Reports, further below. Text/image boxes often are hot-linked to other reports that can be access by clicking on them.)
By L.A. “Tony” Kovach – for MHProNews.com.
Tony earned a journalism scholarship and earned numerous awards in history and in manufactured housing.
For example, he earned the prestigious Lottinville Award in history from the University of Oklahoma, where he studied history and business management. He’s a managing member and co-founder of LifeStyle Factory Homes, LLC, the parent company to MHProNews, and MHLivingNews.com.
This article reflects the LLC’s and/or the writer’s position, and may or may not reflect the views of sponsors or supporters.
Connect on LinkedIn: http://www.linkedin.com/in/latonykova
