R. Michael Gray, P.E. 
Registered Professional Structural Engineer 

If you are trying to purchase or sell a manufactured home, you will almost certainly be required to obtain what is called a Permanent Foundation Certification.  If you are a seller you should review your paperwork from when you closed on the house.  If you have a Permanent Foundation Certification, you should get a copy to your buyer's loan officer.  You may simply be able to reuse it.

Very few sellers have a Permanent Foundation Certification for their home.  If you do not have a Permanent Foundation Certification you will need to obtain one.  Only Texas Registered Professional Engineers can provide a Permanent Foundation Certification for your home.  Exactly what will be involved depends on the type of financing the buyer obtains.

FHA Financing: Almost all manufactured homes will be purchased with an FHA underwritten loan.  These loans cannot be issued without a certification from a Professional Structural Engineer that the foundation complies with Appendices A, B, and C of HUD publication .  

To put this in slightly simpler language, the Structural Engineer must audit the foundation design and verify that the foundation anchorage is meets HUD permanent foundation requirements.  The most common problem we find is that the only anchorage consists of ground anchors.  Ground anchors have no rated load capacity per HUD specifications.

If a foundation does not meet HUD permanent foundation anchorage requirements, it can be retrofitted.  This must be done before the loan can be funded.

There usually are other issues the engineer must verify such as drainage, skirting and structural appurtenances such as porches, decks, carports, garages, etc.