OREGON – The Oregon Contractors Board adopted rules requiring that all contractors completing a new residentia lstructure on or after July 1, 2008 provide the owner or first purchaser with a recommended maintenance schedule. The information must be provided no more than 60 days after completing the structure or first occupancy. The maintenance schedule provides guidance on avoiding moisture related problems. Retailers may use the recommended CCB form found at http://ccbed.ccb.state.or.us/WebPDF/CCB. Publications/Maintenance to satisfy the minimum requirements of the law. The Oregon MHA Board feels that this new rule applies to manufactured homes and retailers need to comply. Retailers may develop their own forms and provide additional data to meet OAR 812-001-0240 requirements.
WYOMING– The Campbell County Commission is contemplating new building codes that could benefit future manufacturedhome owners. The county is putting codes in place that comply with those under the 2006 International Residential Code. The need stems from the credit turmoil and financial institutions hesitancy to lend money. The new uniform codes will provide assurances to homeowners and banks so they canget certificates of occupancy and receive financing.
INDIANA– Indiana’s MH and RV industries, forced to slowdown in light of economic circumstances, are rebounding and aggressively acting to maintain their portion of the market.Several manufactured housing and RV businesses have been sold to buyers outside of Indiana. IMHA and the RV Councilare sponsoring studies to find solutions for the manufacturers, many of which have experienced layoffs and plant closures.They are working with corporate leaders to draft legislation or other solutions that include steps and tips for companies.
CANADIAN MANUF. HOUSING INSTITUTE - Two years ahead of schedule, Canada’s homebuilding industry has already met the Kyoto challenge. Environment Canada’s greenhouse gas (GHG) inventory shows that the residential sector not only met its Kyoto Treaty target for reducing GHG emissions, but also exceeded it with emissions down 8,5% from their 1990 level. The results reflect significant gains interms of the energy efficiency of Canadian homes, both new and existing. Average household energy use dropped 15 %.
ALABAMA – The Alabama Housing Association will be sponsoring the 2009 Tunica Home Show on March 25-27, 2009 at Harrah’s Convention Center in Tunica, Mississippi.The Tunica Show is the world’s largest manufactured/modular home show and a great time to see innovative homes.
WISCONSIN – Reliance on association dues is no panacea in these hard economic times. So the Wisconsin Housing Allianceis negotiating with other organizations to create provideror endorsement arrangements which include health and employee benefits programs, pest control, services, personal lines of insurance and extending educational offerings.
Mandatory Continuing Education
MANDATORY CONTINUING EDUCATION
Five Idaho Manufactured Housing licensee continuing education classes will be presented this fall around the state. Attendance at any one of these classes will complete all mandatory continuing education credits for relicensing for the following twelve month period. The classes will provide important practical information and handouts, including an hour long DVD on installation. Industry members who need education for re-licensing must attend one of these regional training sessions. Cost for the four-hour session is $50 per licensee/person and/or $20 for local government jurisdiction or inspectors. This is the only 2008 class so sign up!
SCHEDULE: (All sessions are from 8:00 - 12:00 P.M.) Pocatello - Tuesday, October 28th Ramada Inn, 133 W. Burnside Twin Falls - Wednesday, October 29th Hampton Inn, 1658 Fillmore St Nampa - Thursday, October 30th Nampa Civic Center, 311 Third Lewiston - Wednesday, November 5th Red Lion Hotel, 621 21st Street Coeur d’Alene - Thursday, November 6th Coeur d’Alene Inn, 506 Appleway
Please complete the registration form online at www.IDMHA.org and return it to IMHA with the correct registration fee payable to IMHA. You may choose to attend any of the sessions, however space is limited so advanced registration is recommended. Registrations at the door will be available only if space permits. Checkin for each class is from 7:30 to 8:00 A.M. Any questions, please email Linda at
This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it
or call 208-853-2320.
Government Relations Report
Government Relations Report
Jack Lyman
In 1998 the Idaho Manufactured Housing Association (the predecessor to the Idaho Housing Alliance) secured passage of the Idaho Mobile Home Rehabilitation Act. This law requires that mobile homes (pre-1976) be rehabilitated if they are relocated from their existing location.
The law established a rehabilitation program at the Division of Building Safety and set a number of rehab requirements. The law required the installation of smoke detectors, set standards for wall, ceilings and doors in furnace and water heater areas, set standards for egress windows, set certain electrical standards and required pressure testing of the home's water and sewer systems.
Once a home meets these standards, the home owner is eligible to receive certificate of compliance from the Division of Building Safety. This certificate must be presented to a local building authority before the home can receive a permit for installation in that jurisdiction. The primary purpose of this permit system is to assure consumer protection by requiring that relocated mobile met basic health and safety standards.
The law also includes the following provision:
"Upon receipt of the certificate of compliance, the local jurisdiction shall issue the installation permit in the same manner as the permit would be issued with respect to a mobile/manufactured home for which rehabilitation is not required. No zoning or other ordinance or policy of the local jurisdiction prohibiting relocation or installation of a mobile home to which this chapter applies shall be effective to prohibit the relocation or installation of a mobile home for which a certificate of compliance has been issued in accordance with this chapter. "
I know it's sometimes difficult to make sense of the dense and somewhat convoluted legislative language that is used to implement public policy. What this language says, in essence, is that cities and counties cannot discriminate against rehabilitated mobile homes. If the home has the rehabilitation certificate of compliance, the city or county must issue any permit it requires for the installation of any mobile/manufactured home.
The Idaho Housing Alliance recently become aware that a few local jurisdictions have enacted ordinances designed to prohibit the siting of pre-1976 mobile homes. We have written to the Idaho Association of Counties and the Association of Idaho Cities to remind them of this law. We asked that they notify their members that such discriminatory ordinances are against state law.
We fought hard to get this law enacted. Now its our job to make sure it is observed.
Five Idaho MH licensee continuing education classes will be presented this fall around the state. Attendance at any one of these classes will complete all mandatory continuing education credits for re-licensing for the following twelve month period. The classes will provide important practical information and handouts, including an hour long DVD on installation. Industry members who need education for re-licensing must attend one of these regional training sessions. Cost for the four-hour session is $50 per licensee/person and/or $20 for local government jurisdiction or inspectors. This is the only 2008 class so sign up!
The schedule: (All sessions are from 8:00 A.M. to 12:00 P.M.)
Pocatello - Tuesday, October 28th at Ramada Inn, 133 W. Burnside Twin Falls - Wednesday, October 29th at Hampton Inn, 1658 Fillmore St. N. Nampa - Thursday, October 30th at Nampa Civic Center, 311 Third Street Lewiston - Wednesday, November 5th at Red Lion Hotel, 621 21st Street Coeur d’Alene - Thursday, November 6th Coeur d’Alene Inn, 506 W Appleway
Time To Build Relationships
Time to Build Relationships
by Linda Lindholm
Everything seems to be going up in price...gas, food, travel, you name it. Well, another thing going up is the pressure on our industry. National, state, county and local governments, regulatory agencies, resident groups and other all have agendas that impact your operations. Some jurisdictions want to ban manufactured, mobile and modular housing or close communities down, others want moratoriums on transition to another use, some lenders are no longer making viable finance options available for our products or developments. Potential purchasers unable to get financing or residents fearful of closures, have put tremendous pressure on political leaders to “do something”. The problem lies in what form that “something” takes.
The Housing Alliance and national Manufactured Housing Institute will support reasonable concepts that do not infringe on the business and property rights of our members. We are still committed to educating the local and state regulatory and legislative leadership about our industry and issues. We will oppose efforts to interfere with business or members’ rights, including unnecessary construction items like fire sprinklers and weather radios, or restrictive zoning, or unfair financial criteria or ordinances that impose moratoriums on building/ closing communities, mitigation fees, rent control, interference with the marketability of title or any other device that imposes unwarranted duties or fees on the manufacturers, retailers, suppliers, lenders or property owners.
No one denies the need for workforce housing , yet the irony is that these government bodies are way behind the curve in planning for and supplying affordable housing. Association members have been providing privately financed unsubsidized housing for decades and now, late to the game, some entities want to impose an uneven, unfair burden on our industry. Affordable housing is a society wide problem and the solutions should be equally borne across society. The states, financial institutes, regulators, counties, cities and even resident groups seem to simply ignore the fact that their decisions and actions actually deny citizens a stable housing option.
These pressures on our industry show no signs of abating. You must make a concerted effort to build on your current relationships with the state and local decision makers and get acquainted with elected officials. Get involved to make sure these representatives are aware of the true consequences of their proposals and how it impacts business. Right now is a critical time for you to engage those candidates on behalf of your particular sentiments and interests. They may not have taken a position on issues important to our industry. Your Executive Director and Lobbyist will be meeting with lawmakers and candidates, but it is more important that you join them. There are three things that every Housing Alliance member can do to help themselves, help the industry and help our legislative efforts in the future:
Register to vote;
Find out who the candidates are. The Secretary of State’s web site lists all the districts and candidates;
Contact the candidates. Attend public meetings, ask questions and if motivated, write them a check.
Get involved now! It is not hard and it will make a huge difference.
Government Relations Report
Government Relations Report
by Jack Lyman
As fall begins, I will be making trips throughout the state to meet with legislators and candidates for the legislature to inform them of issues important to the manufactured housing industry. Some of these visits will involve the distribution of campaign contributions made from the Idaho Housing Alliance Political Action Committee. Other visits will involve renewing acquaintances with current legislators that may play a role in our upcoming legislative efforts. The main topic of all of these discussions will be the prospects for a revisions to the Landlord – Tenant Act. The law was originally passed in 1980 and was amended in 1981, 1988, 1993 and most recently in 2004. The Governor's Task Force on Park Closures recommended several changes to the law. Your Board of Directors thinks the time might be right to consider some of these changes. Significantly declining land prices have reduced, perhaps temporarily, the number of community closures. Fewer headlines will result in a more favorable political climate to consider changes without the heat of emotion from displaced residents. While final decisions haven't be made concerning just what our proposal will look like, we do know what some of our key aims will be. First, we expect the law to respect private property rights – those of landlords as well as tenants. Second, we want to part of the solution to community closures but we don't expect to be the sole source of help for displaced residents. Third, we are willing to consider a variety of ways to help resident organizations fund their operations and obtain the means to buy communities when that is their solution to a closure. We also know some of these things that will be unacceptable to us. We are not willing to delay property sales for a lengthy process of "right of first refusal" for resident organizations. One legislator proposed to the 2008 Legislature that a sale be held up for 90 days while a resident organization looked for funding to match a valid purchase offer. This was unacceptable then and will be unacceptable in the future.
We will not accept funding proposals that imposes significant additional fees or obligations on park owners to pay for relocating displaced residents in closure situations. Some have suggested that community owners pay a tax to fund a relocation trust fund or should be obligated to provide cash assistance (usually in the range of $5-10,000 per unit) to pay relocation costs. We will oppose such schemes.
The purpose of my visits this fall will be to educate legislators on these points and begin to build support for our positions. I'm optimistic that we will find significant support for the approaches we will be taking. We will also be forming and working in coalitions with the resident associations and other interested parties for solutions.
OREGON – The Oregon Contractors Board adopted rules requiring that all contractors completing a new residentia lstructure on or after July 1, 2008 provide the owner or first purchaser with a recommended maintenance schedule. The information must be provided no more than 60 days after completing the structure or first occupancy. The maintenance schedule provides guidance on avoiding moisture related problems. Retailers may use the recommended CCB form found at http://ccbed.ccb.state.or.us/WebPDF/CCB. Publications/Maintenance to satisfy the minimum requirements of the law. The Oregon MHA Board feels that this new rule applies to manufactured homes and retailers need to comply. Retailers may develop their own forms and provide additional data to meet OAR 812-001-0240 requirements.
MANDATORY CONTINUING EDUCATION
In 1998 the Idaho Manufactured Housing Association (the predecessor to the Idaho Housing Alliance) secured passage of the Idaho Mobile Home Rehabilitation Act. This law requires that mobile homes (pre-1976) be rehabilitated if they are relocated from their existing location.
Time to Build Relationships 
Government Relations Report
