Hello,
I'm posting here because I need answers regarding the many issues encountered in the process of placing a manufactured home on a private property. It has been very difficult to find help and this forum seems to have knowledgeable users providing very useful advice so I hope you can offer me some help and advice even though it is not related to parks.
First of all, I am not the owner of the property or the manufactured home. My uncle and his wife are. I only became involved in order to help them out with this issue.
In March 2020 my uncle and his wife met a manufactured home contractor through an acquaintance at a party. As they got to know each other a little more, he began to convince my uncle about the benefits of placing a manufactured home on his 1 acre property in unincorporated Los Angeles County, CA . The contractor kind of brainwashed him with the idea of how quickly he could re-coup the money spent on the home and the great investment opportunity with the rising rents here in southern California. My uncle, a flooring contractor himself, with 30 years experience checked out the MH contractor’s history and found that everything was in order. The contractor was fully licensed and bonded by the state of California, so he went ahead and purchased a 1980 Double Wide for $21,000 ($11,000 cash deposit, $5,000 check after delivery and installation and $5,000 yet to be paid. The final amount to be paid once MH was fully permitted with a certificate of occupancy).
Recent changes in Los Angeles County and California have made it legal to place Additional Dwelling Units, (ADU) on private properties with existing homes, provided they have the lot space. As they began the process of obtaining the permits, everything was going well. My uncle and the contractor were both on board to begin the process. The site plans were approved in December 2020. Soils reports were approved in February 2021. Contractor provided foundation plans to dept. of public works. Then in March of 2021, the problems began. The civil engineer assigned to our case was requesting the manufacturer’s manual and manufacturer’s floor plans from the home. Contractor sent documentation, but engineer said they were not correct and to please submit new accurate documnents.
After that, contractor stopped responding to the civil engineer and also stopped answering my calls and replying to my emails. This went on for several months and left me no option but to file a complaint with the contractor’s state license board. As I was preparing all the necessary documentation to provide the mediator of my complaint, I became aware that the manufactured home’s title was not in either my name or the contractor’s name. I do not know if this was a violation of the law. How could the contractor have sold a MH that was not titled to him? I also recently became aware that a manufactured home must be registered by the DMV and be insured in order to be transported via highway. The contractor most likely did not do this as well.
The manufactured home is currently situated on steel piers on native soil on my uncle’s property. The soils report recommended it to be placed on a foundation. This means that the MH would have to be moved a minimum of 2 more times before the process is complete. Contractor is obligated to do this per the contract which stated he would not receive final $5,000 until MH was fully permitted with a certificate of occupancy.
So as you can see, this whole situation has developed into a huge headache for my uncle and for me. So far, we are awaiting contact from the mediator as well as from the dept. of Housing and Community development for what to do next. I’d appreciate any advice or information you guys could provide to help us solve this issue.
Thanks