Mobile and Manufactured Homes

Mobile and manufactured homes are prefabricated residential dwellings designed and built to be transported in one or more sections on their own chassis.They are distinguished from conventional site-built homes by their appearance, method of construction, and materials used. When sited in a mobile or manufactured home park, they are grouped together on rented land which is owned by the park operator. As a result, the purchaser of the dwelling becomes both a home owner and a rental tenant. This form of tenure is most closely associated with the major English-speaking countries,especially the USA.

American trailers, and British caravans, began as recreational vehicles in the 1920s and 1930s (Cowgill 1941; Whiteman 1973). They were crucially aided by the development of the automobile and trailer camps which enabled leisured people and workers requiring mobility to take a temporary home with them. By the late 1930s, many trailers were a complete housing unit of up to 20 ft (6.2 m) in length but were limited by the capacity of the hauling vehicle and maximum 8 ft (2.4 m) width road regulations. During World War II, the broader potential of the trailer was recognized by the US government which ordered more than 35,000 of them for year-round occupation by relocated war workers (Wallis 1997).