Protecting America’s Manufactured Housing

As the country faces a shortage of roughly 3.8 million housing units, Erika Bolstad describes how factory-built homes could provide an affordable option for boosting construction and creating more affordable housing. “Because manufactured homes are built on an assembly line, they're less expensive and faster to construct. They're seen as essential for providing new housing, especially for lower-income buyers who may have been priced out of site-built homes or expensive rental markets,” Bolstad writes in Governing, noting that “The average factory-built home costs $106,000 to build, compared with $351,000 for site-built homes.”

Contrary to popular belief, these homes are held to rigid construction and safety standards, while the controlled environment of a factory means that components are built with precision and quality, according to Lesli Gooch, chief executive officer of the Manufactured Housing Institute.

Meanwhile, “The Biden administration's Housing Supply Action Plan released in May specifically supports the production of new manufactured housing and new ways of financing such homes.” Since then, some states and cities have relaxed zoning rules to permit manufactured housing in more areas. As Planetizen has noted in prior articles, manufactured home residents face a rising threat of displacement as real estate investors buy mobile home parks and raise lot rents. To combat this, some residents are banding together to purchase land, but still face obstacles in acquiring financing.

Bolstad also draws attention to efforts in some cities to preserve manufactured home communities and prevent the displacement of residents in favor of more profitable uses. “In Austin, Texas, a city facing rapid gentrification in some neighborhoods, the city rezoned mobile home parks in a way that prohibits them from being torn down and converted to other uses.” In Colorado, tenants of manufactured homes have the first right to the option to buy land if it’s put up for sale. The source article describes several other initiatives aimed at protecting current residents and preserving manufactured home parks as a key source of affordable housing.