It's falling apart

[M. Hopkin]

I currently live in a 2001 manufactured home that is slowly but steadily falling apart. The vents in the bathroom have leaked with every rain or snow since we purchased it. The floors in the bathroom are now rotted out along with the walls. We have replaced the drywall in the bathroom and now have to rip apart the bathroom to replace the floor. If that is not enough, the wall in the living room has mold and the kitchen floor will also have to be replaced from water damage. The manufacturer has been out to the house three times and says that there is nothing they can do about the leaking vents, mold or water damage. The insurance company says it is the manufacturers problem. The Manufactured Housing Association for the state says that we are responsible for the mold damage for 10 years even if we sell it and can be sued by the new owners for the damages in the future. We are at a loss on what to do. Any suggestions would be appreciated.

[Tracy]

Yea Burn it!

[Gary C]

What brand is this money pit?

[rmurray]

Many...but the first would be to contact the HUD agency in your state...You should have done this already...There is no sense fixing the pressboard (NovoDeck I suspect) floor without fixing the leak...
There is NO leak that cannot be fixed..Even if the whole roof had to be replaced...

Have you been keeping your problems in writing?,,,Have you canotacted an attorney?...Have you contacted upper management at the manufactured home plant???,,...These are all things that can be done...

I cannot even think of the reason someone would fix the wall board...and not the leak...

Although your warranty is only a year..HUD violations have no such limitations....

Go to this web site for info on how to file HUD complaint...
http://www.hud.gov/complaints/manhousing.cfm

[M.Hopkin]

Thank you for your suggestion. It is a thought that has crossed my mind; a lightening strike, tornado, why can't i live in Kansas.

[M. Hopkin]

Thank you Murray for your suggestions. It is a slow process to get calls back and get in touch with the right people to solve this problem. We are looking at the options that we have and have contacted an attorney to help "light the fire" under the manufacturer to get these problems resolve. I have been in contact with HUD, but again, the process is slow. Again, thank you for your suggestions.

[Another Tracy]

Please keep us informed about your unfortunate situation. I'd like to know how problems like this get resolved. Stories like this make me leery about M-H's although I realize that customers who are HAPPY rarely go to forums to tell the world about their satisfaction - we're all more prone to vocalize when we're UNhappy. I hope you'll get everything resolved to your satisfaction - Best of luck to you!

Tracy (not the Tracy who made the dumb and insensitive comment above)

[rmurray]

Any type of housing has problems...What they have going for them is that they have bought from a large coorporation...well funded to care for their problem and deep enough pockets to sue....they have a written warranty and a huge government agency available to help with major code violations...Most of the above are not available from the local builder..NONE of the above are available from the seller of a used stick built home...These buyers are on their own...

[Another Tracy]

Hey, that's right! I hadn't even thought of that! That's a great point!

I DO know that it is not uncommon for a site-built home-builder to go bankrupt after a few houses and then start up again under a new name. I had always wondered why this was but you may have just explained it. I am not indicting ALL builders of stick-built homes, by any means because, as we all know, there are many reputable builders out there, but I've heard of a few bad apples also.

Thanks for the insight.

[Dwane]

Your elected officials can be another source of aid. At least contact them, have a concerned friend or family member write letters to the editors of all local news papers. Papers and TV are always looking for that one key human interest story that can sell papers or increse ratings. I would sue first, lots of attorney's are making land-mark settlements out of court saving years of waiting. Then tear at their hearts in local and regional sells with the press. I'm sure you'll get a call sooner. Best of luck and again keep us informed.