In a press release, the agency said it recognizes “the significant need to increase the supply of safe and quality affordable housing and is committed to fostering increased production and broader consumer acceptance of manufactured housing as a viable, affordable, and comparable alternative to a site-built home.”
HUD’s new standards include a total of 90 updates or additions, covering everything from open floor plans and roof designs to modern appliances and energy-saving features. The revisions also include allowing for up to four-unit manufactured homes, expanding options for multi-family housing.
“The changes to the HUD Code we’ve finalized today will expand the choices among manufactured homes available for the nation’s homebuyers,” said Julia Gordon, HUD’s assistant secretary for housing. She added that the changes will help increase the availability of innovative manufactured home designs that are “safer, modern, and comparable to site-built homes.”
To accelerate the rollout of these new standards, HUD’s Office of Manufactured Housing Programs has issued an industry-wide “Alternative Construction Letter.” This allows manufacturers to gain immediate approval to start building multi-unit manufactured homes, instead of waiting for the new standards to take full effect.
“These updates will bring the HUD Code in alignment with today’s construction standards and reduce operational complexity for manufacturers,” Gordon said.
Source: mpamag.com