Wierd issue with Serial Number

What do you want to know about manufactured homes? The worlds greatest collection of expert advice on buying, installing, maintaining and repairing manufactured homes.



Post Reply
recian
Posts: 5
Joined: Mon Jun 17, 2013 4:18 pm

Wierd issue with Serial Number

Post by recian » Mon Jun 17, 2013 4:27 pm

So I'm trying to buy this foreclosed home. It's a double wide that's been added on and bricked over. Unfortunately there's a story. The trailer was on another lot, it burned down and the owner said if you can move this you can have it. The construction company took it and it was moved to this lot and the house built around it then a family bought it and had a mortgage on it for quite awhile til it was forclosed on recently. Unfortunately since the frame is still there the bank declares it to be a modified mobile home and requires a VIN/SN. The insides are all modern and changed, there's no trailer anything left exept the fuse panel. That being said there's no paperwork IN the house and there's no HUD label on the outside because the rear of the trailer has had 2 rooms added to it. I managed to find the SN on each frame I beam bewteen the tongue brackets and ends. Both frames are the same which they aren't supposed to be and should end in A or B depending on which frame it is. The number I found is 5222M3DW2B on both frames. It's too short and they shouldn't be the same but it's vertical on the frame from top of the I beam to the bottom. There's no room for more numbers. Is there anything else I can look for? It's pretty hard to get to since there's brick 2" from the Ibeam.

David Oxhandler
Posts: 1459
Joined: Tue Oct 02, 2007 8:37 am

Re: Wierd issue with Serial Number

Post by David Oxhandler » Mon Jun 17, 2013 4:50 pm

The Institute for Building Technology and Safety (IBTS), is the Department of Housing and Urban Development's monitoring contractor under the Federal Manufactured Housing Program. They are required to maintain all reported certification label applications and serial numbers.

IBTS has been the sole source of this data since 1976. You can jump directly to their information request form Ask to obtain a copy of the original HUD Data Plates for your home. You will need all the details in many states if you elect to sell the home or are trying to get insurance
David Oxhandler
[email protected]

recian
Posts: 5
Joined: Mon Jun 17, 2013 4:18 pm

Re: Wierd issue with Serial Number

Post by recian » Mon Jun 17, 2013 5:03 pm

Right but we can't even decipher it to find out manufacturer, year or anything to give to the IBTS to get info. I'm actually wondering now if we read the number backwards tho. I typed it from top to bottom. I checked the VIN on the trailer we live in now and it's got 16 digits. I'm wondering if B2WD3M2225 (backwards from the original) is the last 10 of the VIN?

recian
Posts: 5
Joined: Mon Jun 17, 2013 4:18 pm

Re: Wierd issue with Serial Number

Post by recian » Mon Jun 17, 2013 5:07 pm

We don't have a label number for the original paper or a date of manufacture. These are required fields by the IBTS and I don't even know if we have the full serial number since our current house is 16 this one is 10. By the S/N the house is either an 81 or 83. Toilets are out for dates since they've been changed also. The brick and extensions were done in 86.

David Oxhandler
Posts: 1459
Joined: Tue Oct 02, 2007 8:37 am

Re: Wierd issue with Serial Number

Post by David Oxhandler » Mon Jun 17, 2013 5:12 pm

IBTS can cross reference if you provide the serial number... the number of digits in a serial number varies depending on the builder. Contact them for the best possible details on the info you seek.... they are the sole source of this data
David Oxhandler
[email protected]

recian
Posts: 5
Joined: Mon Jun 17, 2013 4:18 pm

Re: Wierd issue with Serial Number

Post by recian » Tue Jun 18, 2013 10:30 am

Thats what i wanted to know. Maybe this manufacturer only used 10. Thought it was standard like cars. I emailed ibts but ill try to call them this afternoon and check

David Oxhandler
Posts: 1459
Joined: Tue Oct 02, 2007 8:37 am

Re: Wierd issue with Serial Number

Post by David Oxhandler » Tue Jun 18, 2013 4:05 pm

I just checked our inventory of homes... we have a dozen with only 8 digit serial numbers and a few with 11 digit numbers. Go with what you got.... good luck
David Oxhandler
[email protected]

recian
Posts: 5
Joined: Mon Jun 17, 2013 4:18 pm

Re: Wierd issue with Serial Number

Post by recian » Sun Jun 23, 2013 7:40 pm

I went back and found it was a 5224 not 5222. Had to hold my phone up in the gap and take pics with flash and videos then pause the video blown up on a computer to see the numbers. The bank isn't satisfied with that and they want the actual VIN. I'm assuming that NC doesnt see the SN and VIN as the same number then. I know the ones on the trailer I live in now aren't the same. It's in NC but it was manufactured in VA. It's got a 16 vin and 10 on the frame. The DMV said that original number wasn't right. We're gona try again with that new found number and if still NG then we'll call the IBTS. I think they can provide info based off just the serial without needing the manufacturer or date.

enigma-2
Posts: 2
Joined: Fri Jun 28, 2013 2:16 pm

Re: Weird issue with Serial Number

Post by enigma-2 » Fri Jun 28, 2013 2:57 pm

Serial numbers are specific to each manufacturer and can be of any length.

VIN's are only issued to over-the-road vehicles, such as cars and trailers.

What the bank actually needs is the original federal certification label numbers (which were probably removed after the fire).

Inasmuch as the home burnt down, it should have been issued a salvage title by the local authorities. (The destruction of the home in the fire, decertified the home from federal certification.) The federal certification only lasts as long as the integrity of the structure.

The "construction company" that built the new home on the existing chassis essentially built a site-built home and would have been subject to local plans review and inspection.

In order to satisfy the banks demand for proof of certification, you will need to contact IBTS (as David wrote you in his response) and supply them the following information:

Name and Address of the Manufacturer (see Data Plate)
Date of Manufacture/Age
Serial number(s) of the Home (see Data Plate and/or Front Cross Member) or
Label Number of the Home (see Label Location – starts with 3 letters)
Home Location (city & state)

Of course you don't have most of this information. Still it's possible they can track the homes history with just a serial number. A HUD certification label verification letter is $50 and a copy of the original data plate is $100.

I would suggest you contact your local assessors office and see what (if anything) they may have on files on this home. (Give them both the old and new addresses). Also try your local building department. As the home had been added on to, there "should: have been a building permit taken out. Also a building permit is needed for site the homes' initial (and secondary) foundation.

Interesting that the bank foreclosed and is now asking for this information. Why didn't they ask for it when they wrote the initial loan?

Good luck on this, looks like it's an uphill battle.
Dennis

Post Reply

Who is online

Users browsing this forum: No registered users and 30 guests