Services FAQ Consumer
Q: How can I tell if my home is a modular or manufactured home?Manufactured homes are built as single-family dwellings with units of at least 320 square feet on a permanent chassis to ensure the initial and continued transportability of the home. All transportable sections of manufactured homes built in the U.S. after June 15, 1976 contain a Certification Label and a Data Plate. This documentation ensures that the home was built to the Manufactured Home Construction and Safety Standards. Most states have a state certification label for modular homes. Click here for more information about modular homes.
Q: Whom do I contact if something is wrong with my manufactured home?
Start by contacting your retailer; be sure to put the complaint in writing. Document all conversations and save copies of any letters or documents you exchange. The next step is to contact the manufacturer. If you are still dissatisfied with their response 38 States participate with HUD in a State and Federal partnership to regulate and enforce the Federal manufactured housing program in their state. Their involvement depends on the serious nature of the issue. Click here to find the contact for your state.
Q: How can I find out where and when my manufactured home was built?Your home has a data plate that includes the date of manufacture, name and address of the manufacturing plant, manufacturer's serial number and model, a list of certification labels applied to the home, major equipment, roof load, heating/cooling and wind zone information. Also included is the Design Approved Primary Inspection Agency. The label is the manufacturer's certification that the home is built in accordance with HUD's construction and safety standards. The Data Plate includes information concerning the manufacture, components and intended location of the home. HUD standards cover Body and Frame Requirements, Thermal Protection, Plumbing, Electrical, Fire Safety, and other aspects of the home. They are published in the Code of Federal Regulations (24 CFR part 3280, Manufactured Home Construction and Safety Standards).
Q: Where can I find the Data plate in my manufactured home?The data plate is an 8 1/2 x 11 inch document mounted inside your home, with several maps of the United States on it. The Data Plate is affixed in a permanent manner near the main electrical panel or other readily accessible and visible location. Other common locations might be inside the master bedroom closet door, utility or laundry room door, inside a kitchen cabinet or on the backside of a cabinet door.
Q: What is the HUD Certification Label?The HUD (United States Department of Housing and Urban Development) certification label is a red metal label affixed to a manufactured home by the home's original manufacturer. The HUD certification label, commonly referred to as the HUD label, exists as proof that your house was constructed under the Federal Manufactured Housing Program administered by HUD.
Q: Why is the HUD Certification Label Important?
You may need this label for loans, sale, insurance, relocation, appraisal, utility connections and zoning inspections. It identifies the home as having been constructed in accordance with HUD Standards and Procedures for manufactured homes. This label distinguishes your manufactured home from a modular home or recreational vehicle.
Q: Who Needs HUD Label Information?
Several types of organizations need this information:
- Local Building/ Zoning/ Tax Officials
- Realtors
- Appraisers
- Lending Institutions
- FHA
- Utility Companies
- Insurance Companies
- Home Communities/Parks
Q: Where do I Find the Label on my Home?The HUD label is a red metal plate intended to be permanently attached on the exterior of a manufactured home, near the rear of each section. A two-section (double-wide) home will have two separate labels.
Q: If the Siding Has To Be Removed From My Home, What Should I Do With the Label?
If for unavoidable reasons the label must be removed from its permanent location, please safeguard it and keep it with your other important documents.
Note: Lenders and appraisers may still require a letter of verification.
Q: One Or More HUD Certification Labels Are Missing From My Home! What Can I Do?
Don't panic! A missing label can't be replaced, but you may request, for a nominal fee, a verification letter from our office that has been accepted by all parties in lieu of a label. IBTS has created a comprehensive electronic database recording all reported and distributed HUD certification labels since June 15, 1976.
Q: How Can I Get A Verification Letter?You can use our online verification form. A verification letter can be issued by IBTS when homeowners provide identifying information concerning their homes. At a minimum, you must have available either the HUD certification label number or the manufacturer and age of your home with the complete serial number, as pictured below. (This number may be either vertical or horizontal.)
Q: How Do I Locate the Serial Number?This number is stamped into the front steel cross-member of the home chassis by the manufacturer, and is different from the HUD certification label. The home's skirting may need to be removed to allow access to this serial number. Include ALL the letters and numbers of the serial number in your request.
Q: Is this the only place the serial number can be located?
No. This information can also be found on the data plate if it is still with the home. The serial number may also be found on vehicle title or insurance document.
Q: If I have a HUD certification label, and I want to verify its accuracy or find out more about my home (such as the date of manufacture or the manufacturer's name) if the data plate is missing, what should I do?
Follow the same procedure as you would to request a verification letter from IBTS. Call 703-481-2010, email our Labels Department, or use our online verification form.
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