Start around 2000, the mortgage banking industry began to require that a licensed local engineer certify that a manufactured home is sitting on a permanent foundation in order to approve a loan This started only with loans required to meet HUD (Housing and Urban Development) guidelines which includes FHA and Rural  Housing loans  In late 2005, it became federally mandated that all government guaranteed loans on manufactured housing have these engineering certificates.

Now that many first time buyer are finding that HUD FHA backed loans are the best product for them we are seeing a resurgence in these inspections.  Beware that most home inspectors are not qualified to provide these inspections as they cannot provide the engineering certificate the HUD /FHA requires.

The reason for this requirement is to establish a national standard of consistency amidst inconsistent state installation standards. While manufactured homes have standardized preemptive structural, plumbing, and electrical standards that need to be met before leaving the factory, installation standards vary from county to county, state to state. Additionally, manufactured homes are unique in that they can either be titled either as personal property (chattel) or real property. In some states the distinction between personal and real property is determined by the type of foundation and underpinnings that support the home. In other states, the classification of "personal" or "real" property is determined by how the property is taxed. Since the individual jurisdictional requirements vary signficantly, the Engineer Certification Letter helps to provide a standard for excellence. This is generally an underwriting requirement for all FHA insured loans, which also include Reverse Mortgages.

If an existing home is already on a foundation,  Pacific Crest Inspections can provide a certification attesting to the fact that the home meets the guidelines. If it does not meet the HUD guidelines, there are a variety of proprietary or approved engineered foundation systems that can be retrofitted in combination with the existing structural components. Pacific Crest can assist in the engineering certification process.

For more about Manufactured Home see our webpage

For more about HUD FHA Foundation Inspections see our webpage

Rick Bunzel, CRI
Pacific Crest Inspections

NPSAR Affiliate of the Year 2006-2007
WWW.PacCrestInspections.com
360-588-6956
Fax 360-588-6965
Toll Free 866-618-7764