May 27 -- The Office of Policy Development and Research, HUD, invites comments to OMB by June 27, 2022 regarding the three-year extension of the Manufactured Housing Survey.
Manufactured housing provides much of the low-cost new housing in the United States. In 2020, over 94,500 new units were shipped from manufacturing plants to local dealers, with the majority of these homes being intended for residential use. These homes make up about nine percent of all new single-family housing. Given the size and importance of this component of new housing, the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) has funded this survey conducted by the Census Bureau since the early 1970's. The survey provides key statistics on the number, sales price, location, and selected characteristics of new manufactured homes placed for residential use. These statistics, based on data collected by form, fax, online reporting and telephone interview from dealers that have received sampled homes, are comparable to those available for conventionally built housing.
The Manufactured Housing Survey collects data monthly on the characteristics of newly manufactured homes placed for residential use. Key data collected includes sales price and the number of units placed and sold. A letter is sent to the dealer—4 months after the—shipment date. Other selected housing characteristics collected include size, location, and titling. HUD uses the statistics to respond to a Congressional mandate in the Housing and Community Development Act of 1980, 42 U.S.C. 5424 note, which authorizes HUD to use its discretion to take actions necessary ensure that the public is fully aware of the distinctions between the various types of manufactured housing. Accordingly, HUD collects, and reports manufactured home sales and price information for the nation, census regions, states, and selected metropolitan areas and monitors whether new manufactured homes are being placed on owned rather than rented lots. HUD also used these data to monitor total housing production and its affordability.
Furthermore, the Manufactured Housing Survey serves as the basis for HUD's mandated indexing of loan limits. Section 2145(b) of the Housing and Economic Recovery Act of 2008 (HERA), Public Law 110-289, 122 Stat. § 2844-2845, requires HUD to develop a method of indexing to annually adjust Title I manufactured home loan limits. This index is based on manufactured housing price data collected by—the United States Census Bureau using this survey. Section 2145(b) of the Housing and Economic Recovery Act of 2008 (HERA), Public Law 110-289, 122 Stat. § 2844-2845 also amends the maximum loan limits for manufactured home loans insured under Title I.
The methodology for collecting information on new manufactured homes involves contacting dealers from a monthly sample of new manufactured homes shipped by manufacturers. The units are sampled from lists obtained from the Institute for Building Technology and Safety. A file of all manufactured homes sections shipped during the month is provided to the Census Bureau by the Institute for Building Technology and Safety (IBTS) on a monthly basis. Dealers that take shipment of the selected homes are mailed a survey form four months after shipment for recording the status of the manufactured home.
MHS website:
https://www.census.gov/programs-surveys/mhs.html
MHS submission to OMB:
https://www.reginfo.gov/public/do/PRAViewICR?ref_nbr=202205-2528-002 Click IC List for data collection instruments, View Supporting Statement for technical documentation. Submit comments through this site.
FRN:
https://www.federalregister.gov/d/2022-11414
For AEA members wishing to submit comments to OMB, the AEA Committee on Economic Statistics offers "A Primer on How to Respond to Calls for Comment on Federal Data Collections" at
https://www.aeaweb.org/content/file?id=5806