Can you tell the age of a 1400 sq. manufactured home base on the VIN ?
I have the T-234 Manufactured Home Certificate of Permananet Location but it doesn't give the age.

A T-234 Manufactured Home Certificate of Permanent Location sounds like what they must issue in your state when they retire the title? Most states have a system in place to reactivate a manufactured home title. Contact the department that issues the CPL and ask for a copy of the original title. It will tell you the year the home was built.

If you contact the home's builder they would be able to tell you the year and day the home was built.


Institute for Building Technology & Safety is the national resource for information related to manufactured housing. They charge a fee to match the serial number with the rest of the information about the origin of your home.

David Oxhandler
mfdhousing@gmail.com

Since it has been de-titled for this make it real property since it's on a foundation? I'm confused! If I want home insurance, and I do, they ask what year the manufactured home is. Is it relevant? Is it hard to purchase home insurance on a manufactured home that MAY have been built in 86?

Insurance policies for any type structure include the year built. It is a significant factor in generating the cost of the policy. The older the home the greater the perceived risk and the more costly the policy.

Regardless of how the paperwork is detailed a manufactured home is still a manufactured home. For insurance purposes you must get a MH policy. If you insure it as a site built structure and there is a major disaster your insurance company will have a good excuse to not pay. You could easily find that you are not covered, have forfeited any payments made and charged with fraud under states insurance laws.

I learned this in the mid 80s'. My home is a block home to which I joined a manufactured home. For several years I was able to cover it as site built with additions. The fist time the insurance company sent out an inspector that all changed and we have had to pay the rate for a MH policy ever since.

When a title is retired the distinction is ONLY for tax purposes. A MH that retains a title in most states is taxed like an automobile, and an annual license fee is paid. In places where the title is retired the value of the home is added to the value of the real-estate and taxed as if it were a permanent fixture.

Treating a MH as part of the real-estate, in most states, will cost less in taxes as the property appraiser will deduct depreciation annually, just like any other building. A MH as a vehicle is taxed annually by length or weight that never changes.

If the home was insured by the previous owner that old policy will include the year the home was built.

You can also check the local property appraisers web site. They will include the year the home was built

David Oxhandler
mfdhousing@gmail.com



Edited 2 time(s). Last edit at 07/08/2011 06:37PM by David Oxhandler.

Thanks David, this was very helpful. Checking the VIN I was able to correctly see that there is a manufactured date in the numbers, mine being manufactured in 1996. I will follow up with the property tax appraser and see if they can send me a copy of the de-titled paperwork which as you said should have the manufactured date. I would love to know which home insurance company would be willing to write a policy on a 15 year old manufactured home. I've been told that my 2000 sq. ft. barn would not be insured if I have animals in there. Well what is a large 10 stall barn used for if not to have animals? This sounds absurd. So if I raised goats, cows or even a horse or two are they telling me they will not insure my barn? Heck its in better condition than my MH !!!

Have you tried Farm Bureau. They do manufactured homes and specialize in farm insurance (all of which will have a barn). ;

[www.farmbureauquotes.com]

Going to do this first thing Monday morning! This will surely be where my policy will be written.
Thank you.
On an unrelated note. Most if not all of my coil ductwork under the home is torn and needs to be replaced.
Any idea of the approximate price to replace this ductwork would be. 1400 sq. foot home with one return. Should I have two returns? There are appx. 10 floor registers. Should I spend the extra and have round metal ductwork installed. I'm sure the original cause was the fact that the plastic poly that should act as a vapor barrier needs to be redone since it looks like half of it is missing.

What state are you in ?

Whifield county in Georgia near Dalton and Ringgold.

I have not been able to find an easy way to search for property details on the web for Whitfield County. BUT I did find a copy of your county's permit application, here---> [www.whitfieldcountyga.com]

This form had to be filed to get the permits needed to place your home where it is today and requires the year and make of the home.

Try these county offices for more details about your home

Whitfield County Building, Zoning and Development 1407 Burleyson Drive,
Dalton, GA 30720 Telephone 706-275-7401 or 706-275-7474

Whitfield County Tax Assessor Property Valuation Appeals Real and Personal Property 706-275-7410

You might also be able to look up your tax parcel records here;

[www.whitfieldcountyga.com]

The free listing might include info you need.
Also in GA you should be able to go to your tax commissioners office where they handle auto titles and tags, they can look up title info for you. You should have all the info you have when you contact them. Most offices in GA do not do telephone service. They should be able to give you the history of the title including who, what, when..

where is the vin number located at.