What is the difference between a foundation certification and an affixation affidavit?
A foundation certification is an engineer's document about a manufactured home's foundation, while an affidavit of affixation belongs to the legal and title side of the transaction. A loan officer asking for a permanent foundation report and a title company asking for an affidavit are making two different requests.
The words overlap in everyday talk, but the documents do different jobs.
Who asks for which?
Ask each requester to name the exact document and what it must establish.
- Your loan officer asks for the engineering report.
- Your title company or the relevant recording office identifies the title documents.
"We need the home certified" is not enough for either one. An address, the exact document names, and each recipient's contact details are far more useful.
What does the engineer provide?
The engineer provides the report agreed for the property and the requested scope. That may address the foundation criteria, the attachment conditions observed, or another identified structural question. The report reflects only what the inspection and review support.
It is signed by an engineer licensed in the state where the home sits, which for us means Missouri, Arkansas, Illinois, Kansas, Iowa, Nebraska, or Indiana.
What does the title side handle?
The title company can identify the records and documents the transaction needs. Requirements and responsible parties depend on the property and the jurisdiction. Confirm who prepares any affidavit, who signs it, and who handles recording.
An engineering report may be one supporting item, but it does not complete the title process or convert a home to real property. Likewise, finished title paperwork does not supply an engineering finding about the foundation.
Can one visit cover both?
It may be possible to coordinate related engineering work in one visit, but confirm that before scheduling. A shared visit does not make the documents interchangeable. Ask how each completed document will be named and whether each recipient needs its own.
How do you keep the requests organized?
- Put every outstanding requirement on one list.
- Note who requested each and who reviews the answer.
- Separate foundation questions from ownership and title questions.
- Confirm who orders and pays for each item.
- Leave time for recipients to review the finished documents.
An older foundation report may help your lender, but it is not proof that the title work is done. For the engineering side, see what is a HUD engineering report. Our permanent foundation certification service covers the report we prepare.
What should you send us?
Send the address and both sets of wording, the lender's and the title company's. We reply within one business day.