HUD launches Workplace of Manufactured Housing Applications

The U.S. Division of Housing and City Improvement (HUD) introduced this week that it has established a brand new Workplace of Manufactured Housing Applications, which can report back to Assistant Secretary for Housing and Federal Housing Administration (FHA) Commissioner Julia Gordon. The workplace will work to speed up manufactured housing to be able to assist deal with the nation’s stock points.

“This organizational change represents a recognition of the critically essential function that manufactured housing performs in our nation’s housing market,” stated Gordon. “Because of the work executed by our Workplace of Manufactured Housing Applications over the past two years, we’ve made vital progress to assist the supply of recent and reasonably priced manufactured properties.”

Beforehand organized below the Workplace of Housing’s Workplace of Threat Administration and Regulatory Affairs, the brand new construction is designed to clarify the function that manufactured housing can play in addressing the nation’s housing wants.

“Manufactured housing has figured prominently within the Biden-Harris Administration’s efforts to extend the provision of reasonably priced housing and generally is a useful avenue for these of extra modest means to realize the wealth-building potential of homeownership,” the HUD announcement stated.

HUD additionally highlighted actions taken by the administration to broaden its manufactured housing packages, together with assist for the continued manufacturing of manufactured properties regardless of COVID-19 provide chain challenges; implementing “the primary main modifications in nearly a decade” to the Manufactured House Building and Security Requirements, mostly known as the “HUD Code;” and initiating “the most important set of proposed modifications to the HUD Code in over twenty years,” HUD stated.

These proposed modifications embrace bringing the HUD Code consistent with latest manufactured housing business requirements; permitting “sure ridge roof designs;” including language to permit for multifamily manufactured properties of as much as three items; updating open flooring plan necessities and plans for attics; and accessibility enhancements.

The division additionally included a brand new description for the workplace and its tasks.

“The Workplace enforces requirements immediately or by state companies which have partnered with HUD, inspects factories and retailer tons, regulates set up requirements for properties, and administers a dispute decision program for defects,” the Division stated. “The Workplace additionally oversees a Manufactured Housing Consensus Committee, a federal advisory committee composed of twenty-one producers, customers, and normal curiosity and public officers to advise HUD.”