Because the home did not come with a warranty, she paid a roofing contractor to inspect the home, and he said the roof was not up to standards nor was it repairable. An electrical contractor “found multiple electrical issues, a shock hazard and electrical code violations” in the home.
Julie Garand purchased her home from an out-of-state manufacturer for $190,000 in 2006, and says the home leaked, the marriage lines did not meet correctly and electrical issues caused lights to turn on and off on their own. Upon inspection, the Washoe County Building Department discovered construction defects, code violations and evidence of mold, concluding the home may not be safe for occupancy.
Both have filed complaints with the state’s Manufactured Housing Division (MHD) which oversees the safety, construction and installation of factory-built homes. Although they issued the original certificate of occupancy, the MHD says Julie’s home is not in their jurisdiction, and that Donna Lewis’ file is closed because the company from whom she acquired her home is no longer in business.
Although the MHD states that every MH is thoroughly inspected before occupancy, Jim Deprosse, head of the Nevada’s Manufactured Housing Division, said in Julie’s case it has been longer than three years and records are not kept longer than that, but he has since re-opened an investigation into both complaints.
In addition, MHPronews has learned Bruce Breslow, head of Nevada’s Business and Industry Department, is examining documentation collected by mynews4 , and wants potential MH purchasers assured that their homes are safe and up to code. ##
(Editor’s Note: This incident took place on a home built nearly a decade ago. It should be understood in the context of modern manufactured home quality, as underscored by HUD’s own reports. Please see this story, linked here. The Manufactured Housing Improvement Act (MHIA 2000) was sought by the industry, and has resulted in substantial benefit to consumers, for an inside look at how the third party HUD Code manufactured housing inspection process looks, please see the video linked here).
(Photo credit: peninsuladailynews/Jeremy Schwartz–Dan Davis, left, and Tom Duce repairing a manufactured home.
