modular home

[Marilynn Levine]

Beware, we tried to purchase a modular home and were ripped off. Carl Carpenter of Millbrook Homes in MA brought a person to us as his "partner" and licensed contractor. Penn Lyon was suspose to build the house. The so called contractor does not have a license. She stripped our existing house of every thing that was nailed down and never pulled a demolition permit. The site is now red flagged. I can not move back to the existing house as it is destroyed. They even took the back door off and left it open to the public. They removed the stairs so that a hole is left and any one could fall through it. They all kept my money.
Penn Lyon refused to refund my money a big chunk because they feel that Carl should get the refund and then give it to me. What a scam. I would tell anyone not to buy from Penn Lyon. They told me that they are like a lumber yard who sells lumber to a builder and therefore not responsible. The only thing I signed has both Carl Carpenter and Penn lyon's name on it.

[David Oxhandler]

Hello Marilynn

I'm sorry to hear that you are having problems with your new home. You did not say what state your located in. Modular homes are regulated by the local building code authorities, in each state and the warranty that protects the consumer is different from state to state.

If you had purchased a Manufactured Home, regulated by the Federal HUD Code, your home would be covered by a minimum of a full year warranty. In the case of the HUD, Manufactured Home your warranty rights would be protected by that agency in your state that is responsible for the enforcement and administration of the Federal HUD Manufactured Housing Code. Perhaps that office for your state might point you in the right direction towards any consumer protection that might be available from local regulations.

You can gain access to our data base of contact information, for the federal code administrative agency nearest you at the web address http://manufactured-housing.net/saa

Good Luck

[Jon DeTora]

Marilyn:
I regret to have read about your problem. However, from the information you provided the problem seems to be one that is less related to the manufacturer of the modular home and more involved with the builder who actually sold the home to you. While it is common to have the modular home manufacturer's name on a sales contract, that manufacturer is not usually a party to the contract unless it is signed by the manufacturer. If manufacturer did sign it and if there is liability, they may share in that liability. Ask your attorney.
Like all businesses, the modular home business has good and, unfortunately, not so good independent builders. The not-so-good builders frequently reduce prices to unrealistic levels in order to induce the unsuspecting to sign on the bottom line. Such people hurt you, they take away business from good builders and they hurt the modular home industry in general. I don't know if that is the type of builder you encountered but it is possible.
My suggestion is to hire the best attorney you can afford, if you haven't already done so. You can provide some help to your attorney by contacting the consumer affairs or similar section in the office of the attorney general for your state. They maybe able to help you directly or they may be able to steer you to a governmental that can assist. Also, contact the Better Business Bureau, Chamber of Commerce and/or similar organizations to learn if other complaints exist against the builder. Share the information you learn with your attorney.
From the information you provided, there doesn't appear to be an easy solution to your problem. I would appreciate you letting me know how this works out.
Good luck!