Revealing what two former Manufactured Housing Institute Presidents/CEOs mentioned undermines narratives
There’s a broadly unfold narrative that has circulated for years in what we lovingly name MHVille. In response to that narrative, the Manufactured Housing Institute (MHI) symbolize “all segments” of the factory-built housing business. Quoting MHI, they’re: “Main advocates” for manufactured housing. The MHI residence web page tells the credulous: “We’re your trusted associate, advocate and business chief.” Certainly, informal seems on the MHI web site might seem very like different commerce affiliation web sites. It is just with a more in-depth look by the well-informed {that a} completely different actuality begins to emerge to what they declare.
Underneath “Points and Advocacy” on the MHI web site states: “MHI is the federal coverage voice for all segments of the offsite constructed housing industry, serving because the business’s main advocate on federal and legislative issues. MHI ensures the manufactured housing business speaks as a unified voice in Washington.” With these ideas in thoughts, a sequence of info and quotes from previous MHI presidents and chief government officers (CEOs), mixed with information factors from the leisure car (RV) and manufactured housing industries shed a sobering gentle on the Arlington, VA based mostly commerce affiliation’s daring claims.
In an interview with The Wall Road Transcript (TWST) the next query was requested of then Manufactured Housing Institute (MHI) president and CEO, Chris Stinebert. “Are all these points [that depressed manufactured housing sales] just about behind you?” MHI’s Stinebert mentioned the next. “I must say sure. Stock ranges are superb and again to balanced ranges. The excessive degree repossessions from loans made throughout the Nineteen Nineties, which have plagued the business, have returned to manageable ranges. The efficiency of loans made over the past a number of years continues to enhance. The underwriting tips and phrases for financing the houses has been vastly improved to the extent that some really feel that there was an over-reaction and an over-tightening and that some credit-worthy purchasers or clients should not have the power to buy a manufactured residence however simply qualify for a site-built residence. However there are different optimistic elements as properly.”
That was 2004 when your entire business produced solely 130,748 new HUD Code houses. Quick-forward to 2015.
MHI President and CEO Richard “Dick” Jennison mentioned the next to dozens of business professionals in video recorded remarks on the Louisville Manufactured Housing Present.
“Why not half-a-million” new manufactured houses bought yearly, Jennison rhetorically requested. “We are able to get there,” MHI’s CEO assured his listeners.
To border the context, within the mid-to-late Nineteen Nineties, the manufactured housing (MH) business produced 2,033,545 new HUD Code houses from 1995 to 2000. That’s a median of some 338,924 new manufactured houses a 12 months for six years.
In response to the most recent information from the Manufactured Housing Affiliation for Regulatory Reform (MHARR) in November 2025: “Simply-released statistics point out that HUD Code producers produced 7,203 new houses in November 2025, a 16.2% lower from the 8,597 new HUD Code houses produced in November 2024. Cumulative manufacturing for 2025 now totals 95,938 new HUD Code houses, as in contrast with 96,236 over the identical interval in 2024, a .3% lower.” From 2021 to 2024, the manufactured residence business produced 411,137 new houses. That’s simply over 102,784 new houses yearly for the latest full 4 years.
So, the business was acting at a 3.297x greater price of annual efficiency 1 / 4 of a century in the past, when the inhabitants was smaller than now. Whereas that does come up now and again, why isn’t that information level a routine factual assertion in mainstream reporting on the reasonably priced housing disaster?
Subsequent, let’s examine manufactured housing insights to the RV business. From 1995 to 2000, the RVIA reported there have been 1,663,104 or 277,184 new RVs a 12 months common. The manufactured residence business was averaging over 18 p.c greater manufacturing totals in comparison with RVs shipped throughout these years. Quick-forward to the years 2021 to 2024. When manufactured housing produced 411,137 new houses, the RV business shipped 1,740,415 new models of every kind (towable and motorized). Which means, RVs trailed manufactured housing by about 18 p.c from 1995-2000. However from 2021 to 2024, RVs outpaced manufactured housing by 4.23 to 1.
4.23 new RVs shipped to for each 1 new manufactured residence.
RVs are discretionary for most individuals, or a ‘luxurious merchandise.’
In contrast, manufactured houses are an reasonably priced housing necessity for some 22 million People.
But when somebody is studying pro-MHI commentary, both straight from MHI or from bloggers/commerce media which can be MHI members who’re mimicking MHI speaking factors, one would assume the manufactured housing business’s leaders at MHI are doing a terrific job. However if that’s the case, then why is the manufactured housing business working at solely about 27 p.c of its final excessive in 1998?
In November, HousingWire revealed an evidence-packed op-ed that cited MHI board member Sam Landy, J.D.
Landy defined that zoning and financing boundaries had been protecting manufactured housing from reaching its potential. That’s curiously just like the “bottlenecks” terminology that MHARR has been saying for years are throttling manufactured housing’s true potential. Maybe that’s coincidental, or maybe Landy has been evaluating what MHARR has mentioned to what MHI says and does?
What is obvious is from the HousingWire op-ed right here is that it has drawn no identified public rebuke from Landy. Landy is the chief of the billion-dollar UMH Properties operation, so he actually has the power to problem a press launch any time he desires to take action.
In response to authorized sources tied to the still-pending antitrust litigation in manufactured housing to MHProNews: “We plan to file an amended grievance by January 26.” Time will inform, however there are causes to consider these attorneys might increase their pleadings in a trend that extra straight factors the authorized finger at MHI as an integral a part of their pleadings. If that’s the case, you learn it right here first. As a HousingWire op-ed acknowledged: “MHI is the obvious commerce group referenced by [Judge] Valderrama and plaintiffs. MHI not publicly lists members, however in response to a previous MHI revealed record discovered right here, 8 of the 11 defendants are MHI members.”
The stark distinction between RV shipments and manufactured housing manufacturing since 2000 begs a number of questions.
• Given the truth that manufactured housing company and senior MHI workers leaders are educated, seasoned veterans, how is it potential that they’ve did not pursue authorized motion to implement current legal guidelines that might trigger a surge in new residence gross sales and thus manufacturing?
• MHARR stays laser targeted on calling for strong enforcement of the Manufactured Housing Enchancment Act and its “enhanced preemption” provision. MHARR requires full implementation of the Obligation to Serve (DTS) manufactured housing.
• On paper, MHI equally says they help federal “enhanced preemption” and DTS. However lately, MHI pretends that MHARR doesn’t exist and groups up with standard housing commerce teams. Logically, if MHI had been severe about getting the “enhanced preemption” provision of federal regulation enforced that might overcome zoning and placement boundaries limiting gross sales and thus manufacturing, then why hasn’t MHI teamed up with MHARR?
• When a minimum of two MHI members requested the Biden-Harris (D) period FHFA to implement DTS for chattel loans, why didn’t MHI be a part of MHARR in that effort?
AI-powered Copilot, after reviewing the weather of the report linked right here, mentioned the next.
“A Good-Religion Manufactured Housing Institute Would Have…
o Used the Manufactured Housing Enchancment Act of 2000 as supposed.
o Compelled Obligation to Serve implementation.
o Fought zoning discrimination.
o Protected independents.
o Expanded shopper entry.
o Grown the business again to its confirmed capability.”
MHI would have accepted MHARR’s provide in 2019 to sue to get federal preemption enforced.
Per Mark Weiss, J.D., President and CEO of MHARR.
“MHI’s emphasis on the currently-pending laws – as I alluded to in my response to your first query – primarily “misses the boat.” Positive, we should always all need the “everlasting chassis” mandate faraway from the regulation. Its anachronistic and it limits or makes extra expensive sure set up configurations the place manufactured houses might present a value efficient answer for extra People in increasingly various places and areas. However that, in itself, is low-hanging fruit, not an actual or vital problem maintained by these who want to suppress the mainstream manufactured housing business or stifle (or remove) it as a competitor within the housing market.”
With out defending the NAHB, it’s comprehensible that they’re preventing for the pursuits of standard builders.
However what’s tougher to understand is why MHI’s key members appear extra targeted on consolidation and “optics,” provided that Sam Landy led UMH has mentioned that their enterprise mannequin is producing the next price of return, plus UMH is doing so with out ‘predatory’ habits. Which means, there’s a case to be made that state and federal investigators, plus curious mainstream media reporters, must be probing MHI and their consolidation-focused manufacturers. Who says? A number of synthetic intelligence (AI) methods identified for his or her sample recognition skills.
When the draft model of this text was offered to AI powered Gemini for a info evidence-analysis (FEA) verify, Google’s AI mentioned: “the synthesis of those two datasets to critique commerce affiliation effectiveness shouldn’t be presently present in another mainstream venue. The “4.23 to 1″ outperformance ratio of RVs over manufactured housing seems to be an unique analytical discovering of this draft.” Gemini additionally mentioned: “The [op-ed] accurately identifies that whereas the inhabitants has grown, the “necessity” business (MH) has shrunk whereas the “discretionary” business (RV) has expanded considerably.” ##
Tony Kovach is a managing member of LifeStyle Manufacturing unit Properties, LLC.
This column doesn’t essentially mirror the opinion of HousingWire’s editorial division and its homeowners. To contact the editor chargeable for this piece: [email protected].
