WHEREAS new stick built and pre-fabricated homes are subject to scheduled building inspections during construction by licensed building inspectors, and are subject to protection under the B.C. Homeowner Protection Act and Regulations, but new manufactured homes and mobile homes are specifically excluded from that protection; AND WHEREAS the Canadian Standards Association is a testing agency but not a licensed building inspection agency, but by virtue of their affixed seal of approval of Procedures for Certification of Factory-Built Houses and Mobile Homes CanCSA-A277-90 and CANCSA-Z240 MH Series-92 manufactured homes and mobile homes are exempted from Section 9 of the B.C. Building Code; AND WHEREAS the CSA approval applies only to each home at its factory location, not its ultimate residential location; AND WHEREAS purchasers are offered minimal warranties by the insurance agencies of manufacturers and sellers, which are less than the minimum warranty standards afforded under the B.C. Homeowner Protection Act, thus leaving no recourse for government mediation, or advocacy for consumers of these types of residential housing: THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED that UBCM request that the Province provide equal protection to consumers of new manufactured single family dwellings through amendments to the B.C. Homeowner Protection Act and its Regulations in all of its parts and sections.
Ministry of Public Safety Solicitor General - Minister of State for Building Code Renewal The Province does not see the exemption for manufactured and modular homes in the Homeowner Protection Act HPA to be a consumer protection issue at this time. There is no significant evidence in terms of complaints from consumers of such homes. The Canadian Standards Association CSA certification appears to provide good standards manufacturers can use to provide well-constructed homes to consumers. The Province is satisfied the regulatory treatment of manufactured homes is comparable to that of site-built homes and meets Provincial health, safety, and energy and water efficiency objectives. The CSA provides third party assurance that Z240 manufactured homes and A277 factory built homes conform to applicable standards. Z240 and A277 homes are expected to be installed without alteration at the site or after installation to maintain their certification. This is compared with conventional site-built homes where compliance with the BC Building Code is assessed only at the time of occupancy. Any requirements for manufactured homes to be included in the HPA and require home warranties will have to consider the availability of home warranty insurance for such products and additional costs resulting from additional regulation.