#
- 433A (HCD Form 433A)
- The California form recorded with the county to convert a manufactured home from personal property to real property once it sits on a permanent foundation. It joins the home and land into one parcel for titling, lending, and taxes. Learn more →
A
- ADU (Accessory Dwelling Unit)
- A secondary, fully independent home on a lot that already has (or will have) a primary residence. California law expressly allows a manufactured home to serve as an ADU. Learn more →
C
- Chattel loan
- A loan that finances a manufactured home as personal property, separate from the land. Common on leased land. Faster to close, but with shorter terms and higher rates than a real-property mortgage. Learn more →
D
- Data plate
- A paper label inside the home (often in a kitchen cabinet or closet) listing the manufacturer, model, build date, and the design loads (wind, roof, thermal) the home was built for.
- Double-wide
- A manufactured home built and shipped in two sections that are joined on site, typically 24 to 32 feet wide. The most popular family size. Learn more →
E
- ENERGY STAR
- A federal certification (EPA/DOE) for homes that exceed the baseline energy code through better insulation, duct sealing, and efficient equipment. An ENERGY STAR manufactured home lowers heating and cooling bills. Learn more →
F
- FHA Title I
- An FHA loan program that finances the home (with or without land), usable even on a leased lot. Lower loan limits and shorter terms than a standard mortgage. Learn more →
- FHA Title II
- An FHA real-property mortgage that treats a manufactured home like a site-built house. Requires a permanent foundation and the home titled as real property with the land. Learn more →
H
- HCD
- The California Department of Housing and Community Development. It administers state manufactured-housing rules (Title 25) and records the Form 433A real-property conversion.
- HO-7 policy
- A homeowners insurance form written specifically for mobile, manufactured, and modular homes, covering the structure, belongings, liability, and loss of use. Learn more →
- HUD Code
- The federal construction and safety standard (formally the Manufactured Home Construction and Safety Standards) that all manufactured homes built after June 15, 1976 must meet. It is enforced nationwide. Learn more →
- HUD label
- A red metal certification tag on the exterior of each section, confirming the home was built to the federal HUD Code. Lenders and appraisers look for it.
M
- Manufactured home
- A home built entirely in a factory to the federal HUD Code, on a permanent chassis, then transported and set on a foundation at the site. Learn more →
- Marriage line
- The seam where two or more sections of a multi-section home are joined together on site. A properly sealed marriage line is key to the home’s air and weather tightness.
- Mobile home
- The term for factory-built homes made before June 15, 1976, when the HUD Code took effect. Everything built since is a "manufactured home."
- Modular home
- A factory-built home constructed to the same state and local building codes as a site-built house, then assembled on a permanent foundation. Titled and financed like any house. Learn more →
P
- Perc test
- A percolation test that measures how fast water drains through your soil. Counties require it before issuing a septic permit on rural land. Learn more →
- Permanent foundation
- A foundation that engages the home with the ground per HUD’s Permanent Foundations Guide, allowing the home to be titled as real property. In California it is recorded via Form 433A. Learn more →
- Pier-and-tie-down
- A foundation system that supports the home on piers and anchors it with straps. Faster and cheaper to install, but the home usually stays classified as personal property. Learn more →
R
- Re-leveling
- Adjusting the piers and supports under a manufactured home to bring it back to level after soil settling. Recommended periodically and when you notice sticking doors or cracks.
- Real property
- Land and anything permanently affixed to it. A manufactured home on a permanent foundation, titled with the land, is real property, which unlocks conventional, FHA Title II, and VA mortgages. Learn more →
S
- SEER2
- The current rating for cooling efficiency. A higher SEER2 air conditioner or heat pump uses less energy, which matters through a Central Valley summer. Learn more →
- Setback
- The minimum distance a home must sit from property lines, set by local zoning. Setbacks can affect which floor-plan footprints fit on your lot. Learn more →
- Single-wide
- A manufactured home built and shipped in one section, typically 14 to 18 feet wide. The most affordable size, with a linear layout. Learn more →
- Skirting
- The panels that enclose the crawl space between the bottom of the home and the ground. Skirting needs proper ventilation to control moisture and pests.
T
- Tie-downs
- Anchors and straps that secure a manufactured home against wind and lateral movement, sized to the home’s wind zone.
- Triple-wide
- A manufactured home built in three sections (also called multi-section), typically 36-plus feet wide, with the most spacious and flexible layouts. Learn more →
V
- VA loan
- A mortgage backed by the Department of Veterans Affairs for eligible veterans and service members, often with no down payment. The manufactured home must be real property on a permanent foundation. Learn more →