Washington, D.C., February 7, 2012 – The Manufactured Housing Association for Regulatory Reform (MHARR) reports that according to official statistics compiled on behalf of the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD). the manufactured housing industry rebound evident in recent months continued and strengthened during December 2011. posting its fifth production increase in 12 months. lust-released statistics show that in December 2011. HUD Code manufacturers produced 3,798 homes, up from the 2,745 HUD Code homes produced in December 2010, representing a corresponding-month increase of 39%. This increase brings 2011 annual industry production to a total of 51,618 homes, a more than 3% improvement over total industry production of 50,046 homes in 2010.
While even a modest annual production increase is welcome news for an industry fighting to recover from a decade-plus decline (and could change at a moment’s notice), the current industry rebound , reflected by double-digit monthly production gains is, among other things, testament to the intensive campaign initiated by the MHARR Board of Directors in the aftermath of the November 2010 congressional elections to address the root causes of that decline, all of which lie in the nation’s capital.
Specifically, the MHARR Board recognized that for an industry like manufactured housing – subject to federal regulation and federal policies in nearly all aspects, from production, to financing, to installation and placement at the home-site – that task must begin and end with the federal manufactured housing program and other relevant agencies and programs In Washington, D.C. that effectively control both production and post-production issues.
With three outstanding laws – i.e., the Manufactured Housing Improvement Act of 2000, FHA reform and the “duty to serve” provision of the Housing and Economic Recovery Act of 2008 – pending, but not fully and properly implemented. the MHARR Board concluded that its efforts needed to focus on the implementation of the 2000 law, while assisting as much as possible on financing issues and urging more direct and intensive efforts by the industry’s postproduction sector on the “duty to serve” and expanding the availability of Federal Housing Administration (FHA) government-insured personal property (chattel) loans for the most affordable manufactured homes.
MHARR’s relentless efforts over the past 16 months have re-ignited the issue of the full and proper implementation of the 2000 law and its corresponding impact on all aspects of the industry and the availability of manufactured housing for consumers by educating Washington, D.C. decision-makers and the industry grass-roots. These efforts have been designed to expose and seek remedies for: (I) the failure to implement the 2000 law, designed and intended to complete transition of the industry’s products from “trailers” to homes; (2) “perception”-based policies that have undermined the availability of manufactured home financing; (3) the linkage between a bloated HUD program budget and needless, costly regulation; (4) discrimination against smaller industry businesses in favor of large conglomerates; (5) discrimination against the industry in installation, placement and zoning; (6) discrimination against the industry on other diverse matters, such as fire safety and sprinklers, which continue to feed a negative image of the industry’s product; and, most importantly (7) the basic flaw in the industry’s national representation structure which has totally ignored a major portion of the industry in the nation’s capital.
And now, as MHARR has been reporting at every step, these efforts are gradually beginning to produce results, ending 20 lion a positive note, as MHARR now gears-up to expand and intensifY its efforts to further advance all of these matters in the nation’s capital.
The Manufactured Housing Association for Regulatory Reform is a Washington, D.C.based national trade association representing the views and interests of producers of federally regulated manufactured housing.
