Support Manufactured Housing

A large driver of New Hampshire’s housing shortage are laws in many parts of the state that make it too expensive, complicated, or even illegal to build affordable home types, such as manufactured homes. Manufactured homes are less expensive than stick-built homes, but are prohibited in many residential zones outside of manufactured home parks due to exclusionary rules.

We need to remove outdated bans on modest home types and open up more opportunities for our community members. We can start by lifting the ban on manufactured homes. HB1357 would allow manufactured homes in residential zones, opening up opportunities for lower income households in New Hampshire to access homeownership.

Today’s manufactured homes are basically indistinguishable from traditional home types – they’re just modest starter homes that are built somewhere else before being moved to a piece of land. When home builders can work year round in one factory, and they don’t need to cut each piece of lumber individually, it’s a lot cheaper and quicker, so the home is naturally more affordable.