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How to Inspect Mobile Homes or Manufactured Housing for Defects: detailed procedures, defect lists, references to standards. Ver.3.4 - 04/25/07 - Steve Vermilye, New Paltz NY and Daniel Friedman, Poughkeepsie NY, Hudson Valley ASHI Chapter Seminar, Newburgh NY, January 4, 2000, NY Metro ASHI Fall 99 Seminar, Holiday Inn Crowne Plaza, White Plains NY, October 2, 1999.

Use the links at page left to navigate this document or to go to Other Resources. The Green links show where you are in our document & website. © Copyright 2009 Daniel Friedman, New York State License # 16000005303 All Rights Reserved. Information Accuracy & Bias Pledge is at below-left.

EXTERIOR DEFECTS - Guide to Inspecting Mobile Homes for Exterior Defects

• Damaged, drafty, or inoperative mobile home windows; windows in bedrooms may be required to open as emergency fire exits. Leaks at windows and doors are among the most common mobile home and trailer defects we observe. Our photo at above left shows broken windows and at above right we show windows that were taped-over, probably to stop winter drafts.
  

• Leaks at mobile home or trailer windows and doors are common on older structures, often a source of hidden structural damage to walls and floors. Window and door leaks are increased on mobile homes that were constructed with no roof overhang (unlike the home end windows in our photos above) - roof runoff spilling down sides of the structure readily enter at any opening in the wall.
  
  In turn, leaks at windows and doors of mobile homes, trailers, and doublewides, also on campers, often cause still more extensive damage including collapsing of particle board subfloors, wet moldy insulation in wall and floor cavities, damaged electrical components, and on occasion, insect damage as well.

• Site drainage defects risk undermining supporting piers below mobile homes
• Location & Site Setbacks: Building officials should have checked the home location for proper setbacks from property boundaries etc. - a buyer should be sure that this information has been reviewed and that a CO is on file.
• The building address needs to be visible from the road, letters 4" high and reflective on contrasting background for recognition of the property by emergency vehicles.
  
  

Steps and rails on mobile homes, trailers, doublewides: mobile homes and trailers need 2 exit doors/steps/rails, usual step and platform issues; doors usually at either end of one side or at opposite ends and opposite sides; 30 ft apart. Our photo, left, shows the required two exits, though the railings at both of these exit doors look dangerously loose, even from a distance. A sound sturdy railing is not necessary at building stairs and landings - until someone is about to fall. At that time a loose flimsy railing can result in even greater injury. See STAIRS, RAILINGS, LANDING INSPECTIONS, CODES for more information.

• Emergency Fire Escape from trailers and mobile homes: assure that there is a functional second egress door, steps, rails. In many homes a bedroom window is required to function as an emergency fire exit.
• Unsafe mobile home steps and rails: We have found doors that didn't open or that opened to tall drops where deck was rotted and then removed. Our photos (above left and right) show Steve Vermilye noting unsafe exit stairs at two trailer homes: missing top platform, missing railings, open railings (right photo), and steps with uneven riser height - a trip hazard.
• Missing stairs: - we found exit doors on trailers where the old steps had been removed entirely, perhaps because of decay; the result was the occupant faced at six foot drop if exiting during an emergency. There must be an exit platform and stairway at every exterior door.

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DEFINITIONS of Mobile Home, Doublewide, Modular, Panelized Construction
MOBILE HOMES, DOUBLEWIDES, TRAILERS
INTRODUCTION to MOBILE HOMES
PRIORITIES OF MOBILE HOME INSPECTION
MOBILE HOME LABELS
MOBILE HOME ROOF DEFECTS
MOBILE HOME XTERIOR DEFECTS
MOBILE HOME TRUCTURAL DEFECTS
  MOBILE HOME WIND RATINGS
  MOBILE HOME ENERGY ZONES
  MOBILE HOME ROOF ZONES
  MOBILE HOME FOUNDATIONS
  MOBILE HOME PIERS
  MOBILE HOME STABILIZING SYSTEMS
  MULTI-WIDE CONNECTIONS
  MOBILE HOME WALL DEFECTS
  MOBILE HOME CRAWL SPACES
  GENERAL STRUCTURAL
MOBILE HOME ELECTRICAL DEFECTS
  MOBILE HOME ELECTRICAL SUPPLY
  MOBILE HOME ELECTRICAL SERVICE
  MOBILE HOME ELECTRICAL GROUNDING
  COMMON DEFECTS
MOBILE HOME HEATING
MOBILE HOME COOLING
MOBILE HOME INSULATION
MOBILE HOME PLUMBING
  GENERAL PLUMBING
  MOBILE HOME SUPPLY PIPING
  DRAIN WASTE VENT
  MOBILE HOME FUEL SUPPLY
  MOBILE HOME WATER HEATER DEFECTS
  MOBILE HOME PLUMBING FIXTURE DEFECTS
MOBILE INTERIOR DEFECTS

• Mobile Home Inspections - Daniel Friedman & Steven T. Vermilye
• Trailer vs Mobile Home vs Modular vs Panelized Construction an explanation of terms and how to identify these structures.
• "Modular Home Construction, special defects and inspection methods" Dan Friedman, NY Metro ASHI Seminar, Holiday Inn, Crowne Plaza, White Plains NY, October 4, 1996
• "Modular Home Construction, special defects and inspection methods" Dan Friedman, NY Metro ASHI Seminar, Holiday Inn, Crowne Plaza, White Plains NY, October 4, 1996
• MOBILE HOME INSPECTIONS
• Trailer vs Mobile Home vs Modular vs Panelized Construction an explanation of terms and how to identify these structures.
• Trailer vs Mobile Home vs Modular vs Panelized Construction an explanation of terms and how to identify these structures.
• "Modular Home Construction, special defects and inspection methods" Dan Friedman, NY Metro ASHI Seminar, Holiday Inn, Crowne Plaza, White Plains NY, October 4, 1996
• New York State: "Manufactured Homes: an installation guide for the code enforcement official," undated. [Div. of Code Enforcement & Admin. - 518-474-4073, George E. Clark, Jr., Director] - this is a guide tool, not an enforcement code or standard.
• HUD State Administrative Agency (for 36 states) (NY: 518-474-4073) - for complaints
• Manufactured Housing Institute, 2101 Wilson Blvd. Ste. 610, Arlington VA 22201 703-558-0400 www.mfghome.org
• NYMHA, 35 Commerce Ave., Albany NY 12206-2015 518-435-9859 800-721-HOME (they want the Star Program to provide for separate assessment of manufactured homes)
• Consumer Reports: www.consumerreports.org - special report 2/98
• Mobile Home Inspection Checklist, Florida, Town of Lady Lake Building Department

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