Manufactured Home Dispute Resolution Program
Introduction
In 1974, Congress passed the National Manufactured Housing Construction and Safety Standards Act which authorized the Department of Housing and Urban Development to establish construction standards for manufactured homes. In 2000, Congress updated the 1974 Act.
In passing the two laws, Congress, intended to protect the quality, durability, safety and affordability of manufactured homes; to facilitate the availability of affordable manufactured homes and increase homeownership for all Americans; to provide for the establishment of uniform and performance-based construction standards for manufactured homes; and to encourage cost-effective and innovative construction techniques for manufactured homes.
Congress also authorized the establishment of a Manufactured Housing Consensus Committee (MHCSS) to assist HUD in the development, revision and interpretation of the MHCSS.
In addition, it authorized HUD to establish minimum manufactured home installation standards that could be adopted by states to provide for the initial installation of new manufactured homes and a program to provide for the resolution of disputes between consumers, retailers and manufacturers.
Background
The Act is intended, in part, to protect the quality, safety, durability, and affordability of manufactured homes. Section 623(c)(12) of the Act (42 U.S.C. 5422 (c)(12)) requires the implementation of “a dispute resolution program for the timely resolution of disputes between manufacturers, retailers, and installers of manufactured homes regarding responsibility, and for the issuance of appropriate orders, for the correction or repair of defects in manufactured homes that are reported during the 1-year period beginning on the date of installation.” The purpose of this part is to provide a dispute resolution program for the timely resolution of disputes among manufacturers, retailers, and installers regarding the responsibility for correction or repair of defects reported by the homeowner or others and reported in the 1-year period after the first installation of the manufactured home.
Additional Information
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