STLStructural
(314) 834-5853 Request a visit

Permanent foundation certification.

Certification to HUD's permanent foundation guide, for a loan file or a title conversion.

Request this service
A block pier, footing, and anchor strap under a manufactured home

What is a permanent foundation certification?

It is a Professional Engineer's sealed statement that a manufactured home sits on a permanent foundation as HUD's Permanent Foundations Guide for Manufactured Housing describes one. Lenders ask for it on a loan, and title teams ask for it when a home is being converted from personal property to real property.

Issued in: Missouri, Arkansas, Illinois, Kansas, Iowa, Nebraska, Indiana. Loan officer or processor? See for lenders.

When you need it

  • A lender asked for a "PFGMH" or permanent foundation certification
  • A title company is retiring the home's title and recording it as real property
  • You are refinancing and the old certification cannot be found
  • The foundation was changed since the last certification
1234
  1. 1Wheels and axles removed
  2. 2Towing hitch removed
  3. 3Permanent footings
  4. 4Permanent utility connections

What the engineer looks at

  • Whether the home is supported and anchored as a permanent installation
  • Footings, piers, and anchors
  • Whether the wheels, axles, and towing hitch have been removed
  • Permanent utility connections
  • Skirting and drainage

What you get

  • A signed and sealed foundation certification
  • A deficiency list when the foundation does not qualify
  • A document your lender and title company can both use
  • Re-inspection after corrections, when needed

Common questions

Is this the same as an affidavit of affixation?

No. The certification is the engineering document. The affidavit is a legal document recorded with the county. Many files need both, and they are separate.

What does PFGMH stand for?

Permanent Foundations Guide for Manufactured Housing, the HUD publication the certification is written against.

What if the foundation does not qualify?

You get a list of what has to be corrected. Once a contractor does the work, the foundation is inspected again.

Read first

What is the HUD Permanent Foundations Guide (PFGMH)?HUD's Permanent Foundations Guide for Manufactured Housing, explained in plain terms. Foundation certification vs affixation affidavitThe engineering foundation certification and the recorded affixation affidavit are different documents. What if a manufactured home foundation does not certify?What happens when a manufactured home foundation does not meet the standard, and the next steps.

Related services

Stamped engineer lettersThe signed and sealed letter a building department, lender, or contractor asked for. FHA and HUD foundation inspectionThe engineering report an FHA lender asks for on a manufactured home. Manufactured home structural inspectionA sealed structural report on a manufactured home and its foundation, for any loan type.