Federal Law Says Manufactured Homes Must be Movable. Changing That Could Unlock an Affordable Housing Boom.

A rule changed proposed as part of the Road to Housing Act passed by a Senate committee in July could make it much easier and cheaper to build manufactured housing, according to an analysis from Pew by Dennis Su and Rachel Siegel. 

The change would end the requirement that manufactured homes stay on a chassis to allow them to be relocated. In fact, only 5 to 7 percent of ‘mobile’ homes are ever moved, yet keeping the chassis can increase the cost of a home by around $10,000. “Housing experts say that allowing the chassis to be removed after installation would also allow greater design flexibility. Manufactured homes could be placed in more communities—not only in rural areas but also in empty lots in cities—while waste and cost could be reduced.” The change could make it easier to build multilevel units or add basements, and to place the man level closer to the ground. 

The authors note that “While allowing chassis removal after transportation would expand use cases and options, this alone would not be enough. Additional policy updates, such as modernizing zoning and ownership laws to expand access to mortgage financing, would still be needed so this option can reach its full potential to help address the deep national housing supply shortage.”