MHOAI has been working with the Illinois Department of Public Health (IDPH) and the Housing and Urban Development (HUD), allowing for funding from HUD to form an agency that manufactured home owners can go to for help resolving some of our on going issues. The IDPH is now named a state administrative agent (SAA). The designation, which was supported by our association, was made in March 2002 by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD). Illinois joins 36 other states in this effort to provide greater assistance to owners of manufactured homes.

As an SAA, the Department is responsible for investigating complaints related to the construction of manufactured homes. It also will work with the homeowner and the dealer and manufacturer to resolve any problems concerning construction-related defects.

If a person has recently purchased a new manufactured home and has problems related to its construction at the factory or to its on-site installation and has been unable to resolve them, IDPH may be able to assist. The best way for a homeowner to provide the Department with the information it needs is to complete a Manufactured Housing Consumer Complaint Form, being sure to include as much detail as possible about the problem(s) and homeowner efforts to address the issue(s).

With this information in hand, the Department will then notify the manufacturer and dealer about the situation and ask for a response. If the problem poses a safety hazard, IDPH will require an immediate correction. For less serious problems or those that are cosmetic in nature, the manufacturer will be given a reasonable amount of time in which to correct them.

While the standard warranty for a manufactured home is one year, there is not a specific time period during which defective conditions must be brought to the Department’s attention. Since the Department’s designation is as an SAA, it has received 12 complaints.

In addition to investigating complaints, the Department also has the authority to conduct random inspections of manufactured homes on dealership lots. Homeowner questions should be addressed to:

John Reilly or Pat Metz
Division of Environmental Health
525 W. Jefferson Street
Springfield, IL. 62761
217-782-5830
800-547-0466 TTY (hearing impaired use only)

All members received a copy of this form in our last newsletter. If you have not yet joined MHOAI and want a copy, you can also contact Terry Nelson, mhoai1@aol.com