HUD proposal could ease path for multistory manufactured homes
A proposed HUD rule would change how the permanent chassis requirement applies to multistory manufactured homes, potentially lowering costs and making upper floors more practical. The issue is especially relevant in Florida, which has the nation’s largest manufactured/mobile home inventory.
A proposed HUD rule could make multistory manufactured homes more practical, giving Realtors® another affordability option to watch as buyers look for lower-cost paths to new housing.
The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development wants to revise the definition of “manufactured home” by changing how the permanent chassis requirement applies to multistory homes. Under the proposal, the lowest level of a HUD-code manufactured home would still need a permanent chassis, but upper-floor sections would not.
That matters because the chassis is one of the technical pieces that can make multistory manufactured homes more expensive and harder to design. HUD said the upper-floor chassis requirement adds steel, weight, labor, transportation costs and wasted space without much practical benefit once the home is installed. The agency estimates the requirement adds about $4,800 to $6,700 per unit.
“America needs more housing, and manufactured housing is part of the solution,” HUD Secretary Scott Turner said. “We are removing unnecessary barriers, encouraging innovation, and helping American manufacturers deliver more affordable housing options for American families.”
Florida has the nation’s largest inventory of manufactured and mobile homes, with more than 824,000 across the state. That represents about 8% of Florida’s housing stock, compared with roughly 5% nationally.
Two-story factory-built homes already exist in the state, including modular homes built to the Florida Building Code and installed on permanent foundations. HUD’s proposal focuses on a different category: HUD-code manufactured homes, where the chassis requirement has made upper floors more costly and less practical.
The affordability conversation also comes with a Florida reality check: storm safety. Florida International University’s Wall of Wind is testing full-scale manufactured homes under different installation practices to see which configurations perform better in extreme winds and where current standards may leave families exposed.
For Realtors, that makes installation, anchoring, wind zone, insurance and buyer education part of the manufactured-home conversation. If the rule moves forward, it could affect buyer conversations about affordable new-home options, land use, zoning, financing and the difference between manufactured and modular housing.
The proposal is open for public comment until Aug. 11.
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