Manufactured homes began construction in 1976 until HUD standards came into force. The HUD standard improved home safety and energy efficiency. The latest HUD standard was introduced in September 1996.  

Manufactured houses— sometimes called mobile homes — are constructed according to manufactured home construction and security regulations (HUD codes ) and displays a red certificate mark on the outside.  Manufactured homes  are constructed in controlled surroundings in manufacturing and are transported in one or several pieces on permanent chassis.

Over 20 million Americans live in manufactured home units, seen more and more in urban development. Thus these homes account for about 7% of owner-occupied dwellings in the U.S –Given the growing manufacturing housing market, it is important that these units meet updated HUD and FHA standards and have a structural inspection. 

Hurricanes affect thousands of properties each year.  Hurricane Andrew caused $25.3 billion (1992 USD) in damage and 44 fatalities in the state of Florida alone. Therefore, FHA and VA establish standard foundations on manufactured homes.

The purpose of a manufactured home foundation certification inspection is to inspect the tie downs in crawl space as part of the inspection process . When purchasing a manufactured home you must have it checked by an approved professional. The lender or bank will  ask for written confirmation that manufactured home foundations meet HUD requirements.

Once an existing factory home has been built it must be installed in a desired place. Once again, the lender requires a manufactured home foundation certification inspection.  The foundation certification must be completed by a certified inspection contractor to confirm that the foundation is following all regulations.

Since manufactured homes are often portable, FHA and VA established standards on foundation of structures. FHA manufactured home foundation requirements are that the structural engineer must carry out a foundation inspection. In general it demonstrates the structural integrity that the house has in the foundation. Also referred to in the foundation certifications, inspections consist typically of one-page documents summarizing the results if necessary. Often, this is longer if there is a defect in the structural inspection.

As well as others, military veterans and surviving spouses look at affordable housing. Most commonly this buyer will use the VA eligibility to buy the property without any down payment.   In addition, a certificate of eligibility from the Department of Veterans Affairs is required to obtain this type of mortgage. 

The Veterans Affairs has special rules related to the foundation. The property must be built on a permanent chassis and affixed to a permanent foundation to meet certain safety requirements.  In order for a VA lender to issue a loan, they will require a certification that meets these standards.