It means that the foundation must meet the criteria as set forth in HUD manual Permanent Foundations Guide for Manufactured Housing, September 1996. This manual requires a site specific design for every manufactured home. Dead loads, snow loads, wind loads and seismic loads must all be taken into account. There must be a perimeter, frost line protected strip foundation as well as frost line protected piers under the chassis.

Some of the items that are inspected and verified are:
 
Site layout, drainage and flood-prone area identification.
Name, address and phone of home manufacturer.
Date of manufacture.
Date of foundation construction and type of foundation.

According to the FHA Website here are the manufactured home guidelines required for getting a FHA loan:  

A Title I loan for a manufactured home requires one of the following:

• A certificate label attached to the home, or
• A label verification letter. Obtain a label verification letter by visiting the website of the HUD approved contractor, the Institute for Building Technology and Safety (IBTS)

A Title II loan requires all of the following:

• A certificate label or label verification letter.
• The placement of the home on a permanent foundation that complies with the Permanent Foundations Guide for Manufactured Housing (PFGMH).
• A certification from a licensed professional engineer verifying compliance with the PFGMH.

• The foundation footings that are not set below the frost line
• Dry-stacked piers are used instead of required piers with mortared head and bed joints
• The use of ground anchors - because FHA doesn't accept these as a permanent attachment
• Any permanent foundation lacking an engineer's certification, even if it complies with all other elements
• Vinyl skirting used as an enclosure that doesn't meet ALL of the following FHA requirements:
• Properly enclosed crawl space with a continuous permanent foundation-type construction (similar to a conventionally built foundation, i.e., concrete, masonry or treated wood)
• Designed to resist all forces without transmitting the building superstructure to movements or effects caused by frost heave, soil settlement, or the shrinking or swelling of expansive soils.
• Adequately secured to the perimeter of the unit to exclude entry of vermin and water
• Allowance for proper ventilation of the crawl space

          The most common errors that may cause a delay are:

• The foundation footings are not set below the frost line
• The use of dry-stacked piers are used instead of the required piers with mortared head and bed joints
• Ground anchors are used, because FHA does not accept these as a permanent attachment
• Any permanent foundation lacking an engineer's certification, even if it complies with all other elements
• Vinyl skirting used as an enclosure, that doesn't meet ALL of the following FHA requirements:
   
  1. Properly enclosed crawl space with a continuous permanent foundation-type construction (similar to a conventionally built foundation, i.e., concrete, masonry or treated wood)
  2. Designed to resist all forces without transmitting the building superstructure to movements or effects caused by frost heave, soil settlement, or the shrinking or swelling of expansive soils
  3. Adequately secured to the perimeter of the unit to exclude entry of vermin and water
  4. Allowance for proper ventilation of the crawl space

  Pacific Crest Inspections  is an licensed Home Inspection company located in Anacortes providing house and property inspections in Skagit, Snohomish, Whatcom, San Juan and Island Counties. Click here to see a map. Our Inspections include pre-listing, pre-sale and new construction inspections for residential, commercial multi-family, and condominiums. Not sure of what we are talking about? Look at our "what is a home inspection page?"

  Pacific Crest Inspections territory covers Skagit, Island, San Juan and Whatcom County communities  including Anacortes, Bellingham, Burlington, Camano Island, Ferndale, Mount Vernon, Sedro Woolley and Oak Harbor.

  Snohomish County communities we inspect include Arlington, Bothell, Everett, Darrington, Edmonds, Granite Falls, Lake Stevens, Lynnwood, Marysville, Mountlake Terrace, Stanwood, Woodinville

  San Juan covers Orcas, San Juan, Lopez and Shaw Islands