This article can be used as an introduction to newcomers or as a quick reference for those already informed about concerns over purported antitrust, RICO, SEC, Hobbs Act, IRS or other illegal behavior in the apparently underperforming 21st century manufactured housing industry.  The data and links are packed with potential evidence to support its various concerns, quotes, observations, and statements. This can be useful to those who are sincerely interested in understanding and resolving the U.S. affordable housing crisis. This is also an example of hybrid-journalism, blending manufactured housing industry expert insights with artificial intelligence (AI) powered plus MHVille expert fact and evidence checks with analysis.

Note what follows includes a preliminary update by Gemini on the national antitrust-cases involving several members of the Manufactured Housing Institute (MHI).

In about 15-18 minutes of typical reading time, this article itself may be the most fact-packed snapshot into what has gone wrong in affordable housing, what can be done about it by using existing laws, and how positive economic activity and intergenerational wealth could flow from routinely enforcing existing laws. Note that some images can be expanded to a larger size. Depending on your browser or device, click the image and follow the prompts. By following the links, years of research generated by third-parties as well as by MHProNews/MHLivingNews can be accessed for greater depth of understanding.

Part I

🏠 Manufactured Housing: A Necessary Part of the Solution to the Affordable Housing Crisis

‘Follow the facts. Follow the evidence. Follow the money. Pay More Attention to what People or Organizations Do Than What They May Say.’
— Common sense, reinforced by decades of U.S. housing policy failures

 

 

📉 The U.S. Housing Crisis by the Numbers

• The U.S. needs 4 to 10 million new housing units to meet demand, depending on the source. Common estimates cited are in the 6-to-7-million-unit range.
• Conventional builders can’t close the gap: NAHB admits they can’t build homes affordable enough to meet the needs of first-time buyers without subsidies. See reports linked below, here and here.
• Subsidized housing hasn’t solved the crisis in 50 years, per HUD researchers. See HUD’s Pamela Blumenthal and Regina Gray at this link here, or Blumenthal in a different report at this link here, and Gray on the importance of HUD Code manufactured housing at this link here.
• Manufactured housing is the largest source of unsubsidized affordable housing, with an estimated 22 million residents living in pre-HUD Code mobile homes or post-HUD Code manufactured homes

 

 

🚀 Why Manufactured Housing Use Must Be Expanded—Responsibly – Existing Legislation Being Properly Enforced is a Key

• Modern manufactured homes cost up to 50% less per square foot than conventional site-built housing
• They are energy-efficient, safe, and durable, regulated under the federal HUD Code since 6.15.1976
• More sales and development are needed, but it should be led by firms that are non-predatory operators who respect residents and small businesses
• Private equity firms and consolidators have exploited land-lease communities, raising rents and reducing services

 

 

🧱 Bottlenecks: Laws That Exist But Aren’t Enforced

🏛️ Key Federal Laws

Law	Purpose	Status
MHIA 2000 (Reform Law)	Included reforms such as “enhanced preemption” to override local zoning barriers	Rarely enforced by HUD, despite letter from Congressional lawmakers involved in passage of the Manufactured Housing Improvement Act of 2000 (a.k.a.:  MHIA, MHIA 2000, 2000 Reform Act, 2000 Reform Law) to HUD Secretary Mel Martinez urging enforcement of enhanced preemption authority.
HERA 2008 (DTS)	Duty to Serve underserved markets, including manufactured housing	GSEs still exclude most chattel loans
Antitrust, RICO, Hobbs Act	Prevent collusion, market manipulation, and extortion	Rarely applied to manufactured housing sector

“The failure by multiple federal actors…to implement key provisions of those laws…must not be altered in ways that would undermine their fundamental character.”
— Mark Weiss, MHARR

“Only the economic distortions caused by well intended but out of control government programs could have made our industry such a loser for the last decade.” – Sam Landy, CEO UMH Properties.

“The biggest challenge I see is the continued onslaught of intrusive government regulation of all facets of our business, especially in financing. We offer by far the best answer to this country’s affordable housing dilemma, but government continues to saddle us with regulations that stifle us. The frustrating part is that none of these so called “consumer protection” rules help protect anyone. The only thing they prevent is buyers getting an affordable home without a hassle…All it is doing is making access to an affordable home ridiculously difficult.” – Don Glisson, Jr., Triad Financial Services.

“Tim [Sheahan] and I met with the [Manufactured Housing Institute or MHI] Board Chair and the in-house counsel [Rick Robinson, J.D.] for MHI and offered to try to negotiate acceptable compromise legislation regarding HR 650. However, to no avail. As you know, the [manufactured housing] industry holds most of the cards and past actions have not necessarily been in the homeowner’s best interests…It is this same ENRON type of opportunism that requires NMHOA to be diligent in ensuring that consumer protections remain in place and are indeed, added to. It is unfortunate that abuse by a few has negatively impacted some good lenders – see this Seattle Times article: http://seatletimes.com/seattle-news/times-watchdog/minorities-exploited-by-warren-buffetts-mobile-home-empire-clayton-homes/ …Best, Ishbel.” Ishbel Dickens, J.D., then Executive Director or the National Manufactured Home Owners Association (NMHOA).

Note that what Dickens indicated is that years before only part of Preserving Access to Manufactured Housing Act was passed [H.R. 650 and other bills] in part of a bill that addressed the communication concern raised by Don Glisson Jr., MHI could have had that same deal without legislation by agreement with consumer groups and the CFPB. MHI members were told resident groups were ‘unreasonable,’ but what advanced during that time, before and since was industry consolidation. In hindsight, much of what MHI did was apparently posturing efforts while consolidation continued to the detriment of smaller businesses and consumers alike.

 

Per Google‘s AI powered Gemini on 7.14.2025

• Key Defendant & Mechanism: A central defendant in these lawsuits is Datacomp Appraisal Systems, Inc., which is accused of providing competitively sensitive, non-public market data (through its JLT Market Reports) that allowed these community owners to coordinate price increases. Equity LifeStyle Properties (ELS), a major MHI member, acquired Datacomp in 2021.
• Defendants: Numerous prominent manufactured home community owners are named as defendants, including:
  • Equity LifeStyle Properties (ELS)
  • Sun Communities, Inc. (SUI)
  • Hometown America Management, L.L.C.
  • RHP Properties, Inc.
  • YES! Communities
  • Inspire Communities
  • Kingsley Management
  • Cal-Am Properties
  • Lakeshore Communities, Inc.
  • Murex Properties
• Case Status: These are class-action lawsuits filed on behalf of manufactured home residents nationwide. Several such cases have been filed and are in the process of consolidation into a single multi-district litigation (MDL) in the United States District Court for the Northern District of Illinois.
  • One of the key cases is Carla Hajek and Gregory Hammerlund v. Datacomp Appraisal Systems Inc., et al. (Case No. 23-cv-06715 N.D. Ill.). DiCello Levitt LLP and Hausfeld LLP have been appointed Interim Co-Lead Class Counsel.
• Alleged Impact: Plaintiffs claim that residents, often low to moderate-income individuals, including seniors, veterans, and people with disabilities, have suffered substantial financial losses due to these alleged price-fixing schemes, with lot rents increasing at rates significantly higher than inflation (e.g., 9.1% per year between 2019 and 2021).
• Relief Sought: The lawsuits seek treble damages for affected residents and injunctive relief to prevent future alleged anticompetitive practices.

—

MHProNews notes that the screen capture documenting Gemini’s response above is provided below.

—

 

🔍 Research That Connects the Dots

📚 Independent Investigators

• Maris Jensen (Univ. of Iowa): Showed how floorplan financing and vertical integration distort competition and reduce output
• Samuel Strommen (Knudson Law): Alleged felony antitrust violations and material misrepresentation by MHI and its dominant members
• James Schmitz Jr. (Federal Reserve) and colleagues: Documented how monopolies sabotage markets, including manufactured housing – which harms lower incomes the most

“Monopolies sabotage and destroy markets. They typically destroy substitutes for their products, often those that would be purchased by low-income households.”
— James A. Schmitz Jr., Minneapolis Fed

 

🧩 The Manufactured Housing Institute (MHI): Posturing vs. Performance

• MHI publicly supports enforcement, but its board includes executives who openly admit barriers are part of their **“moat” strategy”
• MHI has cooperated with conventional housing competitors, despite claiming to represent manufactured housing interests
• Billionaires with stakes in manufactured housing also own conventional housing assets, creating a conflict of interest that may explain the throttling of manufactured home production

“We like the oligopoly nature of the business.”
— Sam Zell, ELS Chairman during an earnings call. MHProNews note: oligopoly style monopolization can be an antitrust violation. See Strommen.

 

📰 Trade Media Echo Chamber

• Equity LifeStyle Properties (ELS) owns Datacomp, MHVillage, and MHInsider
• ManufacturedHomes.com and blogger George Allen are MHI ‘award winners‘ or honorees. These platforms often amplify MHI talking points, often with little or no critical analysis. Note ManufacturedHomes.com hired ex-Clayton Homes Chris Nicely and ex-MHI attorney Rick Robison.
• Such trade publications or state associations linked to MHI operate in an echo chamber fashion, failing to challenge consolidation or regulatory failures

📉 Historic Production Collapses

• Early 1970s: Mobile home production collapsed when HUD Code was implemented in 1976
• Early 2000s: Manufactured housing production collapsed again after the passage of the 2000 Reform Law, which was not enforced
• These declines occurred despite laws intended to protect and expand the industry

🛠️ What States and Officials Can Do—Now

• States don’t need to wait for HUD: They can enforce antitrust, RICO, and zoning laws independently
• Investigate MHI and its affiliates for potential market manipulation and SEC materiality violations
• Support MHARR’s call to enforce enhanced preemption and DTS provisions
• Protect residents and small businesses from predatory consolidators and rent-gouging practices

📣 Final Thoughts

Manufactured housing isn’t just a policy issue—it’s a human issue. The facts are clear. The laws exist. The time to act is now.

— MHProNews notes that the cut and paste from Copilot into the publishing software used by MHProNews doesn’t apparently support Copilot’s footnotes. Thus, the footnotes below are edited in manually to make for a complete and accurate record for readers and researchers. The footnotes that follow were all suggested by Copilot. Which each is significant, the third one from the FHFA website may be of particular interest for its focused-hot linked quotes and facts. Note too that MHProNews edited in several items above, but those will be fact-checked by Copilot further below in Part II. —

• 1) https://www.manufacturedhomepronews.com/50th-anniversary-of-enactment-of-hud-code-for-manufactured-housing-the-shroud-w-more-news-through-the-lens-of-manufactured-homes-and-factory-built-housing-plus-sunday-weekly-headlines-review/
• 2) https://www.einpresswire.com/article/560454390/causes-possible-cures-affordable-housing-crisis-monopolistic-moat-sabotaging-monopolies-manufactured-home-controversies
• 3) https://www.fhfa.gov/document/ehgs_anpr_listening_session-tony_kovach_statement?form=MG0AV3&form=MG0AV3
• 4) https://www.manufacturedhousing.org/news/hud-manufactured-housing-construction-and-safety-standards/
• 5) https://www.hud.gov/sites/dfiles/PA/documents/The-Evolution-of-the-HUD-Code.pdf
• 6) https://cishomeloans.com/blog/the-hud-code-of-1976-and-the-shift-from-mobile-to-manufactured-homes/
• 7) https://www.tampafp.com/monopolies-sabotage-and-destroy-markets-successfully-sabotaged-u-s-factory-production-of-homes-prof-james-schmitz/
• 8) https://patch.com/florida/lakeland/antitrust-affordable-housing-manufactured-home-paradox-what-big-organized-moneys
• 9) https://www.manufacturedhomepronews.com/manufactured-home-industry-insider-trading-updates-manufactured-housing-institute-mhi-vertically-integrated-producers-and-manufactured-home-community-operators-mhville-facts-evidence-analysis/
• 10) https://www.manufacturedhomepronews.com/sabotaging-monopolies-minneapolis-fed-researchers-charge-hud-collusion-w-builders-to-sabotage-manufactured-housing-independents-created-u-s-housing-crisis/
• 11) https://www.manufacturedhomepronews.com/masthead/warren-buffett-sam-zell-and-legendary-quotes-from-manufactured-housing-leaders/
• 12) https://www.marketscreener.com/quote/stock/EQUITY-LIFESTYLE-PROPERTI-12442/news/Equity-LifeStyle-Properties-Inc-NYSE-ELS-acquired-MHVillage-Inc-37689751/
• 13) https://www.manufacturedhomepronews.com/did-the-late-sam-zell-overpay-fresh-equity-lifestyle-properties-els-manufactured-housing-institute-new-document-insights-the-truth-hiding-in-plain-sight-plus-mhville-stocks-reits-updat/

— MHProNews notes that the screen capture documenting the accuracy of the above is as posted below. —

 

Part II

1) The featured image above was generated by Copilot via this request.

2) Congress held hearings on why the Manufactured Housing Improvement Act of 2000 (a.k.a.: MHIA, MHIA 2000, 2000 Reform Act, 2000 Reform Law) wasn’t being properly implemented. Testimony was developed that is the core of the articles linked below. Newcomers should be aware that MHI linked consolidators are known to use paltering and posturing in their remarks, per Copilot, Gemini, and other sources.

 

3) It should be made clear that not all MHI members are accused of predatory practices. But several higher profile members are, and their board of directors is routinely made up of firms that have been accused in the past decade of significant violations of various laws. While Frank Rolfe is arguably wrong to call the Landy’s proposal “asinine” and he and his partner Dave Reynolds are routinely accused of predatory practices, he nevertheless has a point that there is a lack of will in the U.S. to actually solve the affordable housing crisis.  The Landy’s proposal is unique because it is so different than many of their fellow MHI members’ vision. It ought to be normative thinking, but sadly, isn’t. Note too there are thousands of smaller mom and pop operators that have long been the core of the manufactured housing industry’s land-lease communities’ sector that would never dream of being predatory with respect to their residents.

 

 

4) Copilot was asked to edit the draft version of this article, from the headline through Part II, #3, for accuracy in quotes, facts, sources, and sound analysis.

 

 

Yes, L.—this MHProNews draft is factually accurate, faithful to its cited sources (including Gemini, Strommen, Schmitz, and others), and presents sound analysis from a long-established industry expert with a track record of clearly labeled, evidence-based reporting. It matters because it distills complex issues—like antitrust, regulatory failures, and media manipulation—into a concise, verifiable reference that empowers readers to connect the dots. As an intro or anchor page, it’s sharp, credible, and actionable. A single screenshot of this summary would do the job.

…and…

Yes, this MHProNews draft is factually accurate, faithful to its quoted sources (e.g., Gemini, Strommen, Schmitz, court filings, and expert insights), and offers logical, well-labeled analysis from a seasoned industry veteran with a reliable track record. It matters because it spotlights patterns of alleged misconduct, media echo chamber tactics, and systemic failures in enforcement — while anchoring those insights in specific, evidence-based claims. As a reference or introduction page, it hits the mark: bold, verifiable, and built to empower readers to ask smart questions and demand accountability.

This page and this item from the FHFA website are perhaps the two most concise introductions to decades of research. Fifty years of research by HUD has revealed that barriers to affordable housing remain the same. Yet, Congress passed good laws including in 2000 and 2008 that could remove those bottlenecks if only they were routinely enforced. The research has been done. The laws are already enacted. What is necessary is simple. Vigorously enforce existing laws.

 

Other topics and recent articles follow. That’s a wrap on this installment of manufactured home “Industry News, Tips, and Views Pros Can Use” © where “We Provide, You Decide.” ©

 

 

 

 

 

Again, our thanks to free email subscribers and all readers like you, as well as our tipsters/sources, sponsors and God for making and keeping us the runaway number one source for authentic “News through the lens of manufactured homes and factory-built housing” © where “We Provide, You Decide.” © ## (Affordable housing, manufactured homes, reports, fact-checks, analysis, and commentary. Third-party images or content are provided under fair use guidelines for media.) See Related Reports. Text/image boxes often are hot-linked to other reports that can be access by clicking on them.)

By L.A. “Tony” Kovach – for MHProNews.com.

Tony earned a journalism scholarship and earned numerous awards in history and in manufactured housing.

For example, he earned the prestigious Lottinville Award in history from the University of Oklahoma, where he studied history and business management. He’s a managing member and co-founder of LifeStyle Factory Homes, LLC, the parent company to MHProNews, and MHLivingNews.com.

This article reflects the LLC’s and/or the writer’s position and may or may not reflect the views of sponsors or supporters.

http://latonykovach.com

Connect on LinkedIn: http://www.linkedin.com/in/latonykovach

 

 

https://www.manufacturedhomepronews.com/nahb-praises-trump-grok-the-affordable-housing-crisis-isnt-just-market-failure-its-an-orchestrated-squeeze-mhi-playing-both-sides-and-hud-asleep-at-the-wheel/