FEMA Says Every Five Years

If you are anxious about the upcoming hurricane season, now is a good time to make sure your anchors and straps are in good shape. But the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) has a recommendation for scheduling regular tie-down inspections: check anchors and strap tension every two years for coastal areas, and every five years for inland locations (more than 3,000 feet from the coast), and replace corroded anchors and straps as necessary.

    Because the job involves removing skirting and crawling around under the home, you may not want to tackle it yourself. We suggest calling a Florida-licensed mobile home installer instead. A professional can also recommend storm-resistant improvements, such as adding longitudinal tie-downs for an older mobile home.

What To Look For

    But, if you plan on checking it out yourself and want to know what to look for, see our blog post What are the most common defects in mobile/manufactured home foundation piers?

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Want to learn more about inspecting
manufactured/mobile homes?
Get our  Handbook for 
Manufactured Home Inspectors 
at amazon.com for $19.95

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Here’s links to a collection of our blog posts about MOBILE/MANUFACTURED HOMES:

• What happens when a mobile home foundation fails in a hurricane?

• Where can I file a complaint if I have problems with my new or used manufactured/mobile home in Florida?

• How do I determine the age of a very old mobile home?

• Where do I find the vehicle identification number (VIN) on a mobile home? 

• How do I find out how old a mobile home is and who manufactured it?

• What is the right price for a used mobile home?

• How energy efficient is a mobile home?

• When were the first double-wide mobile homes manufactured?

• How do I upgrade my old (pre-1976) mobile home to meet HUD standards?

• What size air conditioner is right for my mobile home? 

• Can you move an older mobile home in Florida? 

• How can I tell if a mobile home is well constructed?

• How can I tell the difference between a manufactured home and a modular home?

       Visit our MOBILE/MANUFACTURED HOMES  page for other related blog posts on this subject, or go to the INDEX for a complete listing of all our articles.