WHEREAS building regulation contraventions occur from time to time involving mobile homes that are located within a mobile home park; AND WHEREAS the title of ownership of a mobile home is filed with the Manufactured Home Registrar while the title of ownership of a mobile home park is filed with the Land Title Office; AND WHEREAS it is entirely possible for a local government to file a notice of a building regulation contravention with the Land Title Office on the property title of the mobile home park owner, but not with the Manufactured Home Registrar involving the individual mobile home; AND WHEREAS full and open disclosure is an important cornerstone of a registration system so that potential purchasers of a manufactured home can become informed about possible building code violations prior to purchase: THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED that UBCM endorses changes to the BC Manufactured Home Registry system to allow local governments the ability to also file notices on individual manufactured homes regarding building regulation contraventions similar to and in addition to those provided by section 57 of the Community Charter; AND BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that UBCM petition the Province of British Columbia to amend the legislation and the regulatory schemes governing manufactured homes to allow for the filing of building regulation contravention notices with the Registrar.
Ministry of Finance The Manufactured Home Registry distinguishes British Columbia as the only jurisdiction in Canada that protects a persons investment in a manufactured home by requiring that the purchase or sale of a manufactured home be registered in a central register before it may be considered a legal transfer. The Manufactured Home Registry is a register of ownership details. The issue of full and open disclosure to potential purchasers of manufactured homes is an important one. The provincial Building Code is intended primarily to ensure that health and safety standards for buildings are met. However, the Building Code is not meant to guarantee overall construction quality. A building that meets all Code requirements could still have problems. For this reason, the Home Owner Protection Office recommends that all potential home purchasers obtain a full home inspection before making an offer. As of March 31, 2009 all home inspectors operating in British Columbia have to be licensed by the Business Practices and Consumer Protection Authority. For manufactured homes that are sold with the land, the Rules of the Real Estate Council of BC require a real estate agent representing the seller to disclose all material defects in the home for sale that cannot be discovered through inspection. Specific material defects that must be disclosed include: - a defect that makes the home potentially dangerous or unfit for habitation; - a defect in respect of which a local government or other local authority has given a notice indicating that it should be remedied; - a lack of appropriate municipal or other building permits.