The Reporter

November - December 2025

As we close out another year, we reflect on our appreciation for our Members. Thank you for your loyalty and friendship. We can’t wait to serve you again in the new year!

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!

In late November, another major step towards removing the requirement that all manufactured homes be built on a permanent chassis was taken when Rep. John Rose (TN-06) introduced the Housing Supply Expansion Act of 2025 (H.R. 6293) in the U.S. House of Representatives.

The bill removes the requirement for a permanent chassis, a change that will allow greater design flexibility and lower construction costs. This will also increase housing supply and affordability by encouraging innovation and helping to combat zoning barriers.

The bill was introduced with bipartisan support including the Chair, Vice Chair, and Ranking Member of the Housing Subcommittee. MHI thanks Rep. Rose, Chairman Mike Flood (NE-01), Vice Chair Monica De La Cruz (TX-15), Ranking Member Emanuel Cleaver (MO-05), Rep. Lou Correa (CA-46), and Rep. Scott Peters (CA-50) for introducing this bill to help lower the costs of manufactured housing and encourage innovation. The legislation has been referred to the House Financial Services Committee for consideration. The Housing Subcommittee has already held its legislative hearing on this proposal. The full committee will hold its consideration soon. Language to remove the permanent chassis requirement has passed in the Senate as a broader housing package.

“Manufactured housing is a great way to get more families into homes that they own,” said Rep. Rose upon introduction. “Rent prices across Tennessee continue to soar because demand for housing still far exceeds supply. By striking this outdated restriction on manufactured homes, my legislation will increase supply and ultimately help bring home prices down for everyone.”

On December 3, the U.S. House Committee on Financial Services held a hearing  titled “Building Capacity: Reducing Government Roadblocks to Housing Supply” about various factors and policies that have influenced the housing supply shortage and the legislation proposed to address the issues. Over 40 bills were attached to the hearing, including bills to establish HUD as the primary federal authority for manufactured housing standards and to remove the requirement that manufactured homes be built on a permanent chassis.

H.R. 5263, introduced by Rep. Mike Flood (NE-01) and co-sponsored by Rep. Emanuel Cleaver (MO-05), establishes HUD as the primary federal authority to establish manufactured housing construction and safety standards. H.R. 6293 the Housing Supply Expansion Act, introduced by Rep. John Rose (TN-06) and co-sponsored by Rep. Mike Flood, Rep. Emanuel Cleaver, Rep Scott Peters (CA-50), Rep. Monica De La Cruz (TX-15), and Rep. Lou Correa (CA-46), eliminates the requirement that manufactured homes be built on permanent chassis.

“Since 1974, federal law has required that manufactured homes include a permanently installed chassis. This has significantly reduced the ability of young and low-income families to buy their own homes. Removing the permanent chassis requirement for manufactured homes will lower construction costs, unlock modern design flexibility, and open far more locations for quality, affordable housing,” said Rep. Rose during the hearing.

Other bills of note include:

• H.R. 4568, the Supporting Upgraded Property Projects and Lending for Yards (SUPPLY) Act (Rep. Sam Liccardo (CA-16)) - Authorizes the Federal Housing Administration to finance second lien loans for ADUs and requires FHFA to allow Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac to purchase and securitize ADUs.
• H.R. 6269, To require the Secretary of Housing and Urban Development to conduct a review of Federal Housing Administration construction financing programs to identify barriers to the use of modular home methods, and for other purposes (Rep. Stephen Lynch (MA-08)) - Requires HUD to review FHA construction financing programs to identify barriers to use of modular home methods.
• H.R. 4659, the Identifying Regulatory Barriers to Housing Supply Act (Rep. Flood) - Requires localities receiving Community Development Block Grant program funds to submit information on land-use policies.
• H.R. 2840, the Housing Supply Frameworks Act (Rep. Flood) - Requires HUD to publish best practices regarding zoning that supports housing.
• H.R. 5878, the HOME Reform Act of 2025 (Rep. Flood) - Excludes HOME Program Projects from National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) and Build America Buy America (BABA) requirements.
• Discussion Draft: To require the Comptroller General of the United States to conduct a study that examines the cost and benefits of a Federal uniform residential building code (Rep. Maxine Waters (CA-43)) - This discussion draft requires the Government Accountability Office (GAO) to conduct a study regarding the establishment of a federal uniform residential building code.
• Discussion Draft: To require the Secretary of Housing and Urban Development to submit to the Committee on Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs of the Senate and the Committee on Financial Services of the House of Representatives a report with respect to incentivizing small dollar mortgages, and for other purposes (Rep. Waters) - Requires an FHA report on small dollar mortgages with a principal balance of $100,000 or less.

Nearly two-thirds of the committee were in attendance for the hearing, highlighting the growing bipartisan focus on housing supply. On December 16 and 17, the Committee held a markup where many of these bills were considered.

On December 10, Fannie Mae released Selling Guide Announcement SEL-2025-10, introducing significant policy updates to property eligibility for manufactured homes and accessory dwelling units (ADUs) for lenders who originate and sell mortgage loans to Fannie Mae. These changes aim to broaden financing options and modernize appraisal standards.

The expanded eligibility for manufactured homes reflect the updates that MHI helped secure in the latest HUD Code updates, including manufactured housing two- to four-unit properties. The updates also include changes related to ADUs. Read more about the expanded eligibility here. 

Matt Van Epps, a former senior official in Governor Bill Lee’s administration and military veteran, has been voted the Republican candidate in Tennessee’s 7th Congressional District special election, held on Tuesday, December 4th. Van Epps received endorsements from President Donald Trump, Governor Bill Lee, former Representative Mark Green, and Representative Jim Jordan.

Read more at: Meet Matt Van Epps - Conservative Leader for Tennessee

Congressman Van Epps official Washington website is HERE.

December 18, 2025, Press Release

• Congressman Matt Van Epps (TN-07) announced his senior leadership team, naming Sam Nienow as Chief of Staff, Alex Joyner as Senior Advisor, and Steve Allbrooks as District Director. Together, the team brings decades of experience serving Tennessee’s 7th Congressional District and deep institutional knowledge of both district and Washington operations.
• As well, Congressman Matt Van Epps has been appointed to serve on the House Committee on Homeland Security and the House Committee on Science, Space, and Technology—two key committees that directly impact the safety, growth, and future of Tennessee’s Seventh Congressional District.

Following its swift advancement from the Energy Subcommittee in mid November, H.R. 5184, the Affordable Housing Over Mandating Efficiency Standards (Affordable HOMES) Act passed the House Committee Energy and Commerce on December 3rd, at markup, with a bipartisan vote of 30-16.

Introduced by Rep. Erin Houchin (IN-09) and Housing Subcommittee Chairman Mike Flood (NE-01), the Affordable HOMES Act repeals Section 413 from the 2007 Energy Independence Security Act (EISA) that directed the Department of Energy (DOE) to establish energy standards for manufactured homes and ensures that the DOE final rule on Energy Conservation Standards for Manufactured Housing will have no force or effect. As amended by Rep. Jake Auchincloss (MA-04), it converts DOE’s role to an advisory capacity, allowing the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) to receive data and input from DOE while remaining the final authority for manufactured home standards as Congress originally intended when it established the HUD Code.

“Manufactured housing is a proven and cost-effective solution serving first time homebuyers, young families, and seniors,” said Rep. Houchin during committee discussion. “Yet, Washington has created conflicting regulatory regimes that increase compliance costs and slow production. That’s what the Affordable HOMES Act aims to fix. It is straightforward and common sense. It restores HUD’s longstanding role as the single regulator of manufactured housing construction standards and removes DOE’s overlapping authority.”

Rep. Auchincloss summarized the importance of this bill, saying, “[The bill] is about who decides and who is best positioned to take into account the total cost of ownership. And when it is total cost of ownership for a house, I think the Department of Housing and Urban Development is best positioned to do that.”

H.R. 5184 now moves to the full House of Representatives for consideration, with a vote anticipated soon.

(December 17th) With an overwhelming vote of 50-1, the Housing for the 21^st Century Act (H.R. 6644) passed the House Financial Services Committee. The comprehensive housing package, introduced by Chairman French Hill (AR-02), Ranking Member Maxine Waters (CA-43), Housing and Insurance Subcommittee Chairman Mike Flood (NE-01) and Subcommittee Ranking Member Emanuel Cleaver (MO-05) is aimed at expanding development capacity, lowering costs and simplifying regulations through initiatives that accelerate housing production and expand access to affordable homeownership and rental housing. 

Included in the package is language reaffirming HUD’s primacy over other agencies—a critical step for regulatory certainty—as well as language to remove the permanent chassis requirement. As MHI has consistently noted, these changes will strengthen efficiencies inherent in manufactured housing and accelerate the availability of attainable homes for working families.

“Section 301 makes important changes for manufactured housing,” noted Rep. Flood. “It includes Congressman John Rose’s extremely important bill that would remove the requirement that a manufactured house be built with a permanent chassis. That one change is going to enable significant growth for manufactured housing. It will reduce the cost of manufactured homes. Additionally, Section 301 includes language that would ensure HUD is the primary regulator of all manufactured housing standards. Any other federal regulator that conducts rulemaking related to manufactured homes would need to get their changes cleared by HUD.”  

Speaking about his chassis bill, Rep. John Rose (TN-06) said, “Removing the permanent chassis requirement for manufactured homes will lower construction costs, unlock modern design flexibility, and open far more locations for quality, affordable housing.”

A number of other provisions in the legislation expand financing and remove local barriers to manufactured housing such as Section 302’s directive for the Federal Housing Authority to evaluate options for incentivizing small-dollar mortgages. Other elements of the package encourage states and localities to modernize zoning and land-use policies, which too often block manufactured housing despite federal preemption.

The Housing for the 21^st Century Act now awaits consideration by the full House of Representatives.

The educational portal will open on January 5th and will close on December 4, 2026.

Pick your course. Pay online. Access Online.

Print your certificate of completion right from your dashboard.

2026 Initial Licensing

Closes 12/04/2026

2026 Continuing Education

Closes 12/04/2026

Installation Basics Training

Remains Open

Discounts are available for THA member companies ONLY!

Members will receive the annual discount code on January 5th, via an e-mail.

The One Hundred and Fourteenth General Assembly will reconvene at 12:00 noon (CST) on Tuesday, January 13, 2026.

THA Board Members, Legislative Committee Members, Lobbyists, and THA staff will be monitoring and reporting on the progress of this session.

Grant further positions TN as a national leader in next-generation nuclear energy

Tennessee Governor Bill Lee announced on Tuesday, December 2nd, the Tennessee Valley Authority’s (TVA) application was selected for a $400 million grant from the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) to advance the development of a small modular reactor (SMR) at the Clinch River Site, in Oak Ridge.

“This announcement marks a significant milestone for America’s energy dominance and underscores Tennessee’s position as a leader in clean, reliable nuclear energy to power the future,” said Gov. Lee. “I’m grateful for the Trump Administration’s historic investment to strengthen our power grid with the nation’s first small modular reactor, and thank the Tennessee Valley Authority for their continued partnership and commitment to innovation.”

Tennessee’s Clinch River Site is one of the only federally-approved, undeveloped nuclear sites in the country.

In 2025, Governor Lee and the Tennessee General Assembly included up to $50 million in the state budget to assist in accelerating construction of small modular reactors and support TVA’s application for the DOE grant at the Clinch River Site.

In 2023, Governor Lee created the Nuclear Energy Fund and invested a total of $70 million to attract advanced nuclear technology companies and create a leading nuclear ecosystem in East Tennessee. Since the Fund’s creation, Tennessee has recruited top nuclear energy companies, including Orano, Type One, BWXT Enrichment, Oklo, Radiant Industries and more, bringing $7.3 billion total investment and nearly 2,000 new jobs to the Volunteer State.

The Lee administration established the Tennessee Nuclear Energy Advisory Council through Executive Order 101 to help guide the state’s strategy using the knowledge, expertise and experience of some of Tennessee’s brightest minds.

Tennessee is home to 711,400+ small businesses--99.5% of all businesses in the state--employing 1.1 million Tennesseans.

From 2021 to 2024, Tennessee ranked #1 in the Southeast and #4 nationally for small businesses with fewer than 10 employees. The state also ranked #3 nationally for job growth among firms with fewer than 5 and fewer than 50 employees.

From Memphis to Mountain City, small businesses are the backbone of Tennessee's economy.

Attributes to: Ryan Kingsley/Scotsman Guide

Manufactured homes offer a lower-cost entry point with comparable historical appreciation.

Though much less expensive to produce and purchase, manufactured housing is also much less common than site-built single-family homes in the U.S.

For this reason, wider adoption of manufactured homes has been identified as one among many proposals for alleviating the affordable housing shortage in the U.S.

An omnibus bipartisan housing bill passed by the U.S. Senate as part of the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2026, now awaiting reconciliation with the House of Representatives, specifically calls for expanding financing and market access for manufactured and modular homes.

If passed, for example, one of bills bundled in the Renewing Opportunity in the American Dream (ROAD) to Housing Act of 2025 would direct the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) to update its definition of “manufactured housing” to include modular and other prefabricated units not built on a permanent foundation or “chassis.”

A separate bill in the ROAD Act would direct HUD to expand eligibility for mortgage financing on factory-built housing through the HUD-administered Federal Housing Administration.

At approximately 7.9 million units nationwide, manufactured housing comprises just 5.4% of total U.S. housing stock. In certain markets around the country, however, manufactured homes play a disproportionate role in plugging the affordable housing gap.

The average new manufactured home sold for just over $123,000 in 2024 — less than half the national median home price, according to an analysis of U.S. Census Bureau data conducted by StorageCafe, a storage space listing platform operated by property analytics and technology provider Yardi Systems.

Mesa, Ariz., leads U.S. cities with 29,000 manufactured housing units. Phoenix is second with 20,000 units, followed by Jacksonville, Fla., with 15,000.

In Mesa, that represents 13% of the city’s overall housing stock, while in Phoenix and Jacksonville it represents just 3%.

Largo, Fla., and Hemet, Calif., have the largest share of manufactured housing among total housing stock at 28% and 21% respectively, followed by Yuma, Ariz., Lakeland, Fla., and Port Orange, Fla., all at 17%.

The common misconception that manufactured homes do not appreciate commensurate with site-built units, lending manufactured homes the illusion of being poor long-term assets that shed resale value, does not bear out in federal housing data.

According to the Federal Housing Finance Agency (FHFA), which regulates government-sponsored mortgage investors Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, manufactured homes and site-built homes have appreciated at roughly the same rate from the first quarter of 2000 to the second quarter of 2025, up 219.1% and 219.9%, respectively.

A research note published in October by the Urban Institute, a national housing policy think tank, called this trend “strong evidence that this negative perception of home price appreciation is false,” underscoring how manufactured homes have seen higher annual appreciation than site-built homes “in nearly every quarter” over the past decade.

Urban Institute’s analysis of Home Mortgage Disclosure Act data revealed that mortgage applications for manufactured homes were rejected at a rate of 57.8% in 2024 compared to site-built denial rates of just 10%, highlighting barriers to financing expanded adoption.

At the state level, manufactured housing is prevalent in the South, including Florida, Texas and North Carolina.

At 824,000 units, manufactured homes make up slightly less than 8% of Florida’s total housing stock, according to the StorageCafe analysis. The 776,000 units in Texas make up 6.2% of that state’s total housing stock.

North Carolina has about 525,000 manufactured homes, representing more than 10% of the state’s housing stock. Around 12% of total housing stock in South Carolina and Alabama, and 7.4% in Georgia, is manufactured housing.

With more than 507,000 units in California, manufactured homes comprise just 3.4% of the state’s roughly 15 million housing units but provide the greatest sale-price savings nationwide. The average new manufactured home in California sold for $167,000 in 2024 compared to the overall average home price of $759,500, according to StorageCafe.

The Department of Commerce & Insurance has completed processing the approved changes to the Rules & Regulations for Manufactured Housing and full implementation of those Rules is expected to go into effect on February 5, 2026.



As a reminder:

1. The Manufactured Housing Section (the “Section”) has combined Chapter 0780-02-05 (Installation of Manufactured Homes), and Chapter 0780-02-08 (Used Factory Manufactured Homes), into Chapter 0780-02-04 (New Manufactured Homes and Recreational Vehicles), to be renamed “Manufactured Housing”. The Section believes this will be more convenient and provide more clarity to have all rules related to manufactured homes in one chapter. Rules will be rearranged for clarity after the combining of the three current chapters. 
2. Rules that were an unnecessary restatement of statutory language have been removed.
3. All rules concerning park trailers and recreational vehicles have been removed.

Upcoming National Meetings

2026 MHI Winter Meeting

February 16 - 18, 2026 JW Marriott Atlanta Buckhead, Atlanta, GA

2026 MHI Congress & Expo

April 7 - 9, 2026, MGM Grand, Las Vegas, NV

2026 MHI Annual Meeting

September 27 - 20, 2026, JW Marriott Tucson Starr Pass, Tucson, Arizona

2026 MHI National Communities Council Fall Leadership Forum

November 4 - 6, 2026, Westin Michigan Avenue, Chicago

Up to four (4) Scholarships will be awarded in 2026 through the Factory-Built Home Industry. Stay tuned for more information to be posted in the Fall of 2025 on THA's Scholarship Page (https://tnmha.org/scholarship)

• Two (2) $2,500 Scholarships will be available for trade school (certification program) students.

• Two (2) $5,000 Scholarships will be available for degree program students.

• Qualifying students must be pursuing a certification or degree which supports the construction industry.

Customers Scott and DeeDee Ginder (Oneida, TN) and Jana Ewy (Dandridge, TN) both won $2,500 for their entries in the 2025 Most Beautiful Home Contest! Watch their interviews and see their homes on this short video!

2026 THA Annual Member’s Meeting

June 7 - 9, 2026

Dollywood's HeartSong Lodge & Resort

1210 Dollywood Resorts Blvd

Pigeon Forge, TN 37863

Download the graphics and videos from your e-mails!

If you missed them, go back and search the dates or the subject lines with these titles...

November dated 11/03/2025 -

"Thanksgiving Reminds Us What Home Really Means"

December dated 12/09/2025 -

"Warm Holiday Wishes from the Factory-Built Housing Industry"

THA Association Website:      https://tnmha.org/

Go to THA’s main website for the latest industry news, show dates, legislative action items, licensing educational news, scholarship information, member listings, PAC updates and so much more! There is no log in or password needed for this site!

THA Educational Website: https://education.tnmha.org/

This is the direct link to the educational platform where courses are available for initial licensing/certification and continuing education! Please check the Association website (tnmha.org) throughout the year for special announcements, field updates, and yearend deadlines. You must have a log in and password for your educational account, but not the Association website.

THA Annual Meeting Website: https://thaannualmeeting.com/

This annual meeting website has been established for the purpose of collecting and posting annual notices and ongoing developments for future member meetings or special events. The main website will link to this site and save space on the member’s ‘business tool’ website to allow for more member photos of those special events!

THA Consumer Website: https://www.tennesseemanufacturedhomes.com/

This is a consumer-facing website which allows consumers to tour homes and send messages directly to THA members for home quotes, community inquiries, inquire about financing or reach one of our service/suppliers. You must be a THA member to have your business listed on this site.

Follow us on social media!

https://www.facebook.com/tnmha.org

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https://www.linkedin.com/company/tennessee-housing-association/

https://www.youtube.com/@tennesseemha

The production team at ManufacturedHomes.com is always looking for installed manufactured and modular homes that will represent the industry in our state. If any of our THA members have recently set a home and the landscaping is now complete, drop a picture of the exterior to Rick@manufacturedhomes.com

Use these links to make changes or additions to your TennesseeManufacturedHomes.com listing.