U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) announced this week that it has established a new Manufactured Housing Program Officewho will report to the Assistant Secretary for Housing and federal housing administration (FHA) Commissioner Julia Gordon. The office will work to accelerate manufactured housing to help address the nation’s inventory problems.
“This organizational change represents a recognition of the important role played by manufactured housing in our nation’s housing market,” Gordon said. “Thanks to the work performed by our Manufactured Housing Program Office over the past two years, we have made significant progress in supporting the availability of modern and affordable manufactured homes.”
previously held under housing office‘S Office of Risk Management and Regulatory AffairsThe new framework is designed to clarify what role manufactured housing can play in meeting the country’s housing needs.
HUD’s announcement states, “Manufactured housing has figured prominently in the Biden-Harris administration’s efforts to increase the supply of affordable housing and provides an opportunity for people with more modest means to achieve the wealth-creating potential of home ownership.” Could be a helpful opportunity.”
HUD also highlighted actions taken by the Administration to expand its manufactured housing programs, including support for continued production of manufactured homes despite COVID-19 supply chain challenges; implementing “the first major change in nearly a decade” to manufactured home construction and safety standards, commonly referred to as the “HUD Code”; And HUD said “the largest set of proposed changes to the HUD code in more than two decades” is being introduced.
Those proposed changes include bringing the HUD code in line with recently created housing industry standards; allowing “certain ridge roof designs”; adding language to allow multifamily manufactured homes of up to three units; updating open floor plan requirements and plans for attics; and improving access.
The department also included a new description for the office and its responsibilities.
The department said, “The office enforces the standards directly or through state agencies that have partnered with HUD, inspect factories and retailers, regulate installation standards for homes, and dispute defects.” Managed the remediation program. “The office also oversees a created Housing Consensus Committee, a federal advisory committee composed of twenty-one producers, users and general interest and public officials to advise HUD.”
