HUD Standards for Mobile or Manufactured Homes

Since mid-1976, all factory-built homes have been constructed to meet the federal building standards adopted and administered by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD). This national code is called the National Manufactured Home Construction and Safety Standards; it regulates factory-built home design and construction, strength and durability, fire resistance and energy efficiency. It also prescribes the performance standards for the heating, plumbing, air conditioning, thermal, and electrical systems.

The National Manufactured Housing Construction and Safety Standards Act also requires that you receive a homeowner's manual when you buy your home. This manual will explain, among other things, what to do if something goes wrong with your home. Some of the important subjects covered in the homeowner's manual include general maintenance, safety and the various state agencies that are involved in enforcing the federal manufactured home standards.

Every factory-built home now offered for sale has a small red-and-silver seal certifying that the home has been inspected during construction and meets federal home construction and safety standards. You should also find a data plate on each unit listing the manufacturer, serial number, design approval, heating specifications and wind resistance. (If you can't find either one, don't buy the unit!) Again, these standards were developed to assure a suitable level of performance in every manufactured home constructed in the United States. Such standards, together with the manufacturers' warranties, serve to protect you, the home buyer.