NEWS & UPDATES
May 26, 2021
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- Industry News
- MHI in Action
- New Member Spotlight
- Member Resources
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MHI is excited to announce that submissions are open for the 2021 Excellence in Manufactured Housing Awards. This program provides annual recognition to those whose achievements are leading the way for the manufactured housing industry. Submissions are open online through June 25 and winners will be announced in July.
Awards will be given in the following categories:
- Manufacturer of the Year - Three Plants or More & Two Plants or Less
- Retail Sales Center of the Year - East & West
- Manufactured Home Community Operator of the Year
- Land-Lease Community of the Year - East & West
- Lender of the Year - National & Regional
- Lender of the Year - Floor Plan
- Supplier of the Year
- Manufactured Home Lender/Broker of the Year
- Manufactured Home Design - Multi-section & Single-section
- Modular Home Design Award
- Interior Design
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HUD Secretary Fudge Reaffirms
Her Commitment to Manufactured Housing
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Senators from both sides of the aisle questioned HUD Secretary Marcia Fudge about manufactured housing during a U.S. Senate Banking Committee hearing last week about housing and infrastructure. In her responses, Secretary Fudge reaffirmed she is a “strong proponent” of manufactured housing and that it is “affordable, resilient, energy efficient and something we should do more and more of.” In advance of the hearing, MHI worked with members of the Senate Banking Committee to have manufactured housing a key topic of discussion. (Read more)
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Congress Calls on Administration
to Address High Lumber Prices
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MHI continues to advocate for federal intervention and necessary action to support increased production of lumber. MHI worked with a coalition of associations to garner nearly 100 Representatives to send a letter to United States Trade Representative Katherine Tai. The letter, spearheaded by Representatives Kevin Hern (R-OK) and Clay Higgins (R-LA), urges Tai to address the lumber supply shortage that has led to a nationwide upsurge in lumber prices. MHI also recently sent a letter to Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo and submitted a letter for the record to the House Small Business Subcommittee on Economic Growth, Tax and Capital Access urging the Administration and Congress to address the supply shortage.
Click here to read the letter to Department of Commerce.
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MHI Touts Industry’s Support of
Homeowners During COVID-19
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During a listening session hosted by the Federal Housing Finance Agency (FHFA) and the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (the Bureau) about the federal government’s response to assist homeowners during the COVID-19 pandemic, MHI discussed how its members have gone above and beyond to support manufactured home residents during the unprecedented COVID-19 crisis. Acknowledging that many manufactured home residents worked in sectors negatively impacted by the crisis, including the retail and restaurant or food service industries, MHI stated that its lenders have supported their clients by making sure borrowers are aware of options for assistance, streamlining communication by establishing single points of contact for customers, waiving fees, making flexible payment arrangements, and granting extensions and modifications. Further, MHI discussed how manufactured home community owners and operators have supported their residents by enacting rent repayment arrangements and waiving fees, connecting residents with social service resources including information about employment opportunities, assisting them with filing for government benefits, and helping young residents obtain access to virtual schooling. MHI also shared how communities are now working to ensure residents are able to access information about and register for vaccines, including one community which is hosting vaccination clinics. |
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Reps. Axne, Khanna Reintroduce Bills
about Manufactured Housing Communities
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Representatives Cindy Axne (D-IA) and Ro Khanna (D-CA) have reintroduced two bills that would impact manufactured housing communities. The first bill, known as the “Manufactured Housing Community Preservation Act,” establishes a $200 million grant program at HUD for the acquisition and preservation of manufactured housing communities. Under the program, any entities who receive the grants are required to keep, manage and maintain the property for at least 20 years and include oversight provisions to ensure rents remain affordable for residents. MHI worked with Representatives Axne and Khanna as the legislation was drafted to ensure that for-profit land-lease community owner-operators would be among the eligible entities able to apply for federal funding under the program. Click here to read MHI’s letter in support of the legislation.
The second bill, titled the “Manufactured Housing Tenant’s Bill of Rights,” requires owners and operators of manufactured home communities financed by Fannie Mae, Freddie Mac, and FHA to guarantee certain protections for their residents. Similar legislation was introduced in the previous Congress but did not move through the process. MHI has been closely following the concerns raised by consumer advocates about the GSEs’ financing of communities and will fight to preserve this important source of financing for our members.
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MHI Calls on Congress to Consider Impact of
Tax Treatment to Real Estate
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In advance of hearings last week in the Senate Finance Committee and House Committee on Ways and Means about funding and financing options for infrastructure investment, including leveraging the tax code, MHI joined with leading national real estate groups to submit statements for the record urging policymakers not to erode longstanding tax rules and carefully consider both the current state of the real economy, as well as the role that tax provisions serve in promoting long-term investment and encouraging the private sector to put capital at risk. The statements provided specific comments regarding certain individual and pass-through tax proposals in President Biden’s “American Families Plan” including limiting businesses’ ability to defer gain reinvested in property of a like kind, doubling the long-term capital gains tax rate, limiting capital gains treatment to invested cash and disregarding other forms of risk taken by partners, and taxing the unrealized gain on appreciated assets not once, but twice, when an individual dies.
Click here to read the statement to the Senate Finance Committee.
Click here to read the statement to the House Committee on Ways and Means.
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MHI Asks Congress to
Preserve Tax Treatment of Inherited Assets
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MHI, as a member of the Family Business Estate Tax Coalition (FBETC), called on Congress to continue to support the step-up of basis on inherited assets, which has been a provision of U.S. tax law since 1921. Under the current system, capital gains tax is not imposed when assets are transferred at death to an heir. In addition, an heir can increase their basis in the bequeathed assets to fair market value. In a letter to the Senate Finance Committee and House Ways and Means Committee leadership, the Coalition shared a study illustrating the economic damage that would result should these tax provisions for inherited assets be repealed. The step-up basis is critical for family-owned businesses, and the coalition argued its repeal would force many businesses to liquidate assets or lay off employees to cover the tax burden. Click here to read the letter.
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MHI Voices Support for
Legislation Protecting Small Businesses
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MHI joined over 65 broad-based associations supporting the “Save Local Business Act,” which amends the National Labor Relations Act and the Fair Labor Standards Act to make clear that an employer may be considered a joint employer in relation to an employee only if such employer directly, actually, and immediately exercises significant control over the essential terms and conditions of employment. This legislation is in response to the “Protecting Right to Organize Act (PRO Act)” which would devastate many small businesses by codifying into law the National Labor Relations Board’s controversial Browning-Ferris Industries joint employer standard and expose nearly every business relationship to liability for unlawful behavior committed by business partners, such as contractors, suppliers, and franchisees. Click here to read the letter.
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MHI is pleased to welcome the newest members to the MHI family.
Edge Utilities is an Ohio-based company that provides manufactured housing communities and other property owners the ability to recover water and sewer expenses from individual tenants and residents. The process they use, called submetering, allows for an equitable system of recovering water and sewer costs while promoting conservation, early leak detection and lowering expenses. To learn more visit www.edgeutilities.com.
Macy Homes, Inc. is a family owned and operated manufactured housing retailer that has been serving communities in Southern California and the Central Coast since 1951. With locations in Ventura and Nipomo, Macy Homes is a one-stop-shop for home buyers, offering new homes by Skyline Champion, installation, permit assistance, site preparation, foundation building and utility hook-up. For more information visit www.macyhomes.com.
If you have any questions about MHI member benefits, please call MHI’s membership team at 703-558-0647.
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The Manufactured Housing Educational Institute (MHEI) has a new online training program to help retailers increase sales and improve their customer’s experience.
The Professional Housing Consultant (PHC) designation, highlights what today’s buyers are looking for in manufactured housing and covers a wide variety of topics including:
- Overview of the industry including its history, regulation, and business practices.
- In-depth information about mortgage financing, including both real property and personal property loans.
- Successful sales techniques and “real world” strategies to help meet the demand of today’s manufactured home shoppers and make more sales.
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MHI Webinar About Federal Eviction Moratorium
and Rental Assistance Funds
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Earlier today, MHI held a webinar about the latest developments surrounding the CDC’s eviction moratorium and what the recent series of decisions by federal court judges’ ruling the eviction moratorium unlawful means for manufactured housing residents and community owners and operators. As part of this discussion, attendees also learned about how states are implementing their rental assistance programs and how manufactured housing residents and landlords can access these funds. Harry Kelly, a partner at the preeminent DC firm Nixon Peabody, LLC, answered a broad range of questions from what actions landlords can take in response to residents that have vacated their homes leaving behind months of unpaid rent to steps landlords can take who are applying for rental assistance funds on behalf of residents who refuse to response to requests. Jennifer Schwartz, Director of Tax and Housing Advocacy at the National Council of State Housing Agencies, highlighted those states that have been successful in getting rental assistance funding distributed to landlords and residents and discussed how landlords can apply for funding on behalf of their residents. Click here to download the presentation. A recording of the webinar will be available free next week on MHI’s website for members.
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MHI Webinars Available On-Demand |
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Did you miss an MHI webinar? Or, want to go back and learn more? MHI webinars are recorded and available on MHI’s website complimentary for members. Members have the opportunity to view content tailored towards community owners and operators, retailers, developers and more. Simply login to the MHI website to view. A full listing of MHI’s available webinars can be viewed by clicking here.
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Overview of Administration’s Proposal
to Increase Capital Gains Tax
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On April 28, President Biden unveiled the “American Families Plan” which calls for $1 trillion in new spending, $800 billion in new tax credits and aims to significantly expand access to preschool and community college, as well as childcare and health care benefits. To offset these programs, President Biden proposes some significant changes to the tax treatment of real estate. These changes include changes in treatment of estates, including a “step up” in basis on assets transferred to heirs; increases to the capital gains tax; and a limitation of $500,000 in real property that utilizes a like-kind exchange. Click here to learn more about these potential tax provisions, as well as view more resources about the Administration and Congress.
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MHI COVID-19 Infection Prevention Resources |
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MHI News & Updates is a bi-weekly, members-only publication with important updates on federal legislative and regulatory activities, association accomplishments, industry events and other items important to our membership. |
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© 2021 the Manufactured Housing Institute (MHI), Arlington, Virginia. All rights reserved. The content and works provided herein are protected under US copyright law and, where indicated, US trademark law. Without the prior written consent of MHI (which may be withheld in MHI's sole discretion), reproduction, distribution, transmission, caching or other commercialization of MHI copyrighted or trademarked material is strictly prohibited.
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