| Site Map | Search | What's New |
|
|
Site Index: |
|
| Association FAQs |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
In December of 2000 former President Bill Clinton signed into law the Manufactured Housing Improvement Act. With this act came a 21 member consensus committee. The committee is divided into three categories: manufacturers and retailers, consumers and general interest and public officials. This committee provides the Secretary of HUD with recommendations for revisions and interpretations of the standards and procedural enforcement regulations. Terry Nelson was appointed to the committee about 3 years ago to represent consumers, which allows Illinois homeowners/consumers a front row seat. Nelson was also active in the passing of this federal legislation in 2000.
The Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) puts in place standards and regulations that are passed on to the state level. Procedures such as a dispute board to deal with issues regarding defects in the home or installation are addressed by the consensus committee. Addressed by the committee is upgrading of safety issues involving how the home is built, natural weather disaster issues, and enforcement of requirements put in place. It is from this program that each state will have a model of guidelines. It is from these guidelines that states, in our case the Illinois Department of Public Health, puts in place programs such as the state installation act.
Because of weather disaster issues in recent years this committee has and still is addressing changes needed regarding wind and load (snow) zones across the nation.
HUD is responsible for inspections of the manufacturing plants where homes are produced and involved with recalls when needed. The next Consensus Committee will take place in Washington DC on June 17 through June 19 in Arlington, VA.
Article Added: May 9, 2008
During the week of March 14th HUD organized a convention/workshop with the Office of Manufactured Housing and Standards (HUD) and The Council of State Administrative Agencies (COSAA). Attending this event were representatives from all parties that influence our housing market, such as manufactures, retailers, an agent from each state that has put in place a state administrative agency (SAA), and consumers. Illinois does have a SAA program in place. HUD invited three people to represent the consumer/homeowner to this event and Terry Nelson was one of the three.
Many issues were discussed regarding our housing market but the main focus stayed with an act passed in 2000, the Manufactured Home Improvement Act. Under this legislation each state must establish an installation program within five years that satisfies certain minimum requirements, including standards that meet or exceed the HUD model of the training and licensing of home installers and inspection of home installations. If the state does not establish a program on its own, HUD is required to implement its own program. Each state must create a dispute resolution program to resolve disagreements between manufacturers, retailers and installers regarding the responsibility for correcting and repairing defects after a home is installed. If the state does not establish a dispute resolution program, the HUD Secretary will come forth with theirs.
We are pleased to announce that while in Washington Nelson was approached by HUD to fill a place on their Consensus Committee representing the consumer, and she accepted their offer. Most work and time by the committee takes place via telephone conference calls and e-mail. She would only travel to Washington a few times a year allowing her the time to keep up with back door issues in Illinois. By being involved on a federal level she will be better able to watch how other states resolve issues and allow consumers/homeowners a voice from Illinois. While in Washington she was able to meet with SAA representatives along with other representatives of our housing market from about 30 states. One of the important observations Nelson noticed was that states which had a state wide homeowner’s organization, such as MHOAI, were the states that seemed more balanced and got things moving sooner rather than later. The three consumers that HUD invited were from states that are involved with the national homeowners association, Illinois, Michigan, and New Hampshire.
Jump to Previous Articles.
| Article Index | Search | What's New |
|
|
||
Site established
|
Report any problems with the website to:
|
|