What Holds It All Together: Installation of Off-site Housing, the Chassis, and Housing Outcomes

While manufactured homes are built to a federal construction standard, installation is often treated as an afterthought in zoning, appraisal, lending, and regulatory frameworks, leading to persistent misconceptions and policy misalignment. Installation methods—how homes are anchored, supported, and connected to foundations—plays a critical role in long-term durability, resilience, energy performance, consumer protection, and access to financing. 

Designed for policymakers, planners, housing practitioners, researchers, lenders, and advocates, this webinar provides both a practical and policy-oriented lens on how manufactured homes move from factory to foundation. Participants will gain a clear understanding of installation fundamentals, including the functional role of foundations, anchoring systems, and the permanent chassis, through a technical walkthrough grounded in real-world practice. Hosted by the Lincoln Institute’s Innovations in Manufactured and Modular Homes Network (I’m HOME), the discussion will explore how installation standards intersect with federal, state, and local regulations—including HUD Code implementation, FHA and GSE requirements, and local foundation and zoning standards—and where current approaches fall short of reflecting on-the-ground conditions. 

The webinar highlights installation as a critical lever for improving housing quality, affordability, and acceptance, particularly in infill and community-based development contexts. By bridging technical realities and policy frameworks, the session aims to surface near-term reform opportunities, support more performance-based regulatory approaches, and elevate installation as a central pillar of manufactured housing modernization efforts.