Mobile home
Also called: trailer, pre-HUD home
Strictly, a factory-built home produced before June 15, 1976, when the federal HUD Code took effect.
In everyday speech "mobile home" and "manufactured home" are used interchangeably, and most people searching for one will type "mobile home". In the industry and in lending, though, the term has a specific meaning: a factory-built home produced before June 15, 1976, that is, before the HUD Code existed.
The distinction has real financial consequences. Pre-1976 homes were built to no uniform national standard, and many lenders will not finance them, many insurers will not cover them, and many communities will not accept them for installation. If you are looking at a home built before 1976, confirm financing and insurance availability before you get attached to it.
We use both terms on MHAuthority because both are what people actually search for, and we do not exclude pre-1976 homes from results, they are legitimate inventory. The year built is shown on every listing so you can tell which side of the line a home falls on.
Put this to use
Browse homes built 1976 or laterSee also
- Manufactured home, A home built entirely in a factory to the federal HUD Code, transported to its site on a permanent steel chassis.
- HUD Code, The federal construction and safety standard that all manufactured homes built after June 15, 1976 must meet.
- Title, The ownership document for a manufactured home held as personal property, issued much like a vehicle title.