Retailer and Distributor Responsibilities

24 C.F.R. Part ..., Subpart F
in effectEffective: 2024-07-01

24 C.F.R. § 3282.251 Scope and purpose.

(a) This subpart sets out the responsibilities which shall be met by distributors and retailers with respect to manufactured homes manufactured after the effective date of the standards for sale to purchasers in the United States. It prohibits the sale, lease, or offer for sale or lease of manufactured homes known by the distributor or retailer not to be in conformance with the standards, and it includes responsibilities for maintaining certain records and assisting in the gathering of certain information. (b) The purpose of this subpart is to inform distributors and retailers when they may sell manufactured homes, when they are prohibited from selling manufactured homes, and what they may do in order to prepare a manufactured home for sale if it is not in conformance with the standards. (c) For purposes of this part, any manufacturer or distributor who sells, leases, or offers for sale or lease a manufactured home to a purchaser shall be a retailer for purposes of that transaction.

24 C.F.R. § 3282.252 Prohibition of sale.

(a) No distributor or retailer shall make use of any means of transportation affecting interstate or foreign commerce or the mails to sell, lease, or offer for sale or lease in the United States any manufactured home manufactured on or after the effective date of an applicable standard unless: (1) There is affixed to the manufactured home a label certifying that the manufactured home conforms to applicable standards as required by § 3282.205(c), and (2) The distributor or retailer, acting as a reasonable distributor or retailer, does not know that the manufactured home does not conform to any applicable standards. (b) This prohibition applies to any affected manufactured homes until the completion of the entire sales transaction. A sales transaction with a purchaser is considered completed when all the goods and services that the retailer agreed to provide at the time the contract was entered into have been provided. Completion of a retail sale will be at the time the retailer completes installation of the manufactured home, if the retailer has agreed to provide the installation, or at the time the retailer delivers the home to a transporter, if the retailer has not agreed to transport or install the manufactured home. The sale is also complete upon delivery to the site if the retailer has not agreed to provide installation as completion of sale, except that any sale or lease under subpart M and as provided in § 3286.117(a) will not be considered complete until the purchaser or lessor, as applicable, has been provided with a final site inspection report. (c) This prohibition of sale does not apply to manufactured homes which are placed in production prior to the effective date of the standards, and it does not apply to “used” manufactured homes which are being sold or offered for sale after the first purchase in good faith for purposes other than the resale.

24 C.F.R. § 3282.253 Removal of prohibition of sale.

(a) If a distributor or retailer has a manufactured home in its possession or a manufactured home with respect to a sales transaction has not yet been completed, and a distributor or retailer knows as a result of notification by the manufacturer or otherwise that the manufactured home contains a failure to conform or imminent safety hazard, the distributor or retailer may seek the remedies available under § 3282.415. (b) When, in accordance with § 3282.415, a manufacturer corrects a failure to conform to the applicable standard or an imminent safety hazard, the distributor or retailer, acting as a reasonable distributor or retailer, may accept the remedies provided by the manufacturer as having corrected the failure to conform or imminent safety hazard. The distributor or retailer, therefore, may sell, lease, or offer for sale or lease any manufactured home so corrected by the manufacturer. (c) When a distributor or retailer is authorized by a manufacturer to correct a failure to conform to the applicable standard or an imminent safety hazard and completes the correction in accordance with the manufacturer's instructions, the distributor or retailer may sell, or lease or offer for sale or lease the manufactured home in question, provided that the distributor or retailer, acting as a reasonable distributor or retailer knows that the manufactured home conforms to the standards. A distributor or retailer and a manufacturer, at the manufacturer's option, may agree in advance that the distributor or retailer is authorized to make such corrections as the manufacturer believes are within the expertise of the dealer. (d) If the corrections made under paragraphs (b) and (c) of this section do not bring the manufactured home into conformance or correct the imminent safety hazard, the provisions of § 3282.415 will continue in effect prior to completion of the sales transaction.

24 C.F.R. § 3282.254 Distributor and retailer alterations.

(a) If a distributor or retailer alters a manufactured home in such a way as to create an imminent safety hazard or to create a condition which causes a failure to conform with applicable Federal standards, the manufactured home affected may not be sold, leased, or offered for sale or lease. (b) After correction by the distributor or retailer of the failure to conform or imminent safety hazard, the corrected manufactured home may be sold, leased, or offered for sale or lease. (c) Distributors and retailers shall maintain complete records of all alterations made under paragraphs (a) and (b) of this section.

24 C.F.R. § 3282.255 Completion of information card.

(a) Whenever a distributor or retailer sells a manufactured home subject to the standards to a purchaser, the distributor or retailer shall fill out the card with information provided by the purchaser and shall send the card to the manufacturer. (See § 3282.211.) (b) Whenever a distributor or retailer sells a manufactured home to an owner which was originally manufactured under the standards, the distributor or retailer shall similarly use one of the detachable cards which was originally provided with the manufactured home. If such a card is no longer available, the distributor or retailer shall obtain the information which the card would require and send it to the manufacturer of the manufactured home in an appropriate format.

24 C.F.R. § 3282.256 Distributor or retailer complaint handling.

(a) When a distributor or retailer believes that a manufactured home in its possession which it has not yet sold to a purchaser contains an imminent safety hazard, serious defect, defect, or noncompliance, the distributor or retailer shall refer the matter to the manufacturer for remedial action under § 3282.415. If the distributor or retailer is not satisfied with the action taken by the manufacturer, it may refer the matter to the SAA in the state in which the manufactured home is located, or to the Secretary if there is no such SAA. (b) Where a distributor or retailer receives a consumer complaint or other information concerning a manufactured home sold by the distributor or retailer, indicating the possible existence of an imminent safety hazard, serious defect, defect, or noncompliance in the manufactured home, the distributor or retailer shall refer the matter to the manufacturer.

24 C.F.R. § 3282.257 TSCA Title VI requirements.

Retailers and distributors must maintain bills of lading, invoices, or comparable documents that include a written statement from the supplier that the component or finished goods are TSCA Title VI compliant for a minimum of 3 years from the date of import, purchase, or shipment, consistent with 40 CFR 770.30(c) and 770.40.

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