(Source: excerpts from a report by the Bipartisan Policy Center). With an acute national shortage of affordable homes, we must closely examine the complex regulatory landscape that too often adds costs to, and slows the production and preservation of housing. Because there is a bipartisan consensus that we need to increase the supply of affordable rentals and starter homes, reforming regulations that unduly hinder housing construction and preservation is critical.
The proposals include a suggestion to: Amend the National Manufactured Housing Construction and Safety Standards Act to allow better quality manufactured housing.
HUD currently requires manufactured homes to be built on a permanent chassis, which allows these homes to be transported. While a permanent chassis can be a useful option, many manufactured homes are installed on a permanent once they arrive at their destinations and are never moved again. These homes must still comply with the permanent chassis requirement, which can add unnecessary costs. Local zoning boards also often use this requirement to restrict where manufactured housing can be placed.
Removing the permanent chassis requirement from Section 603(6) of the National Manufactured Housing Construction and Safety Standards Act of 1974 (42 U.S.C. 5402(6) could allow more flexibility in deploying manufactured homes to address the housing shortage. In 2023, Rep. John Rose (R-TN) and 10 bipartisan co-sponsors proposed eliminating the permanent chassis requirement could further reduce the cost of each manufactured home.
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