HOUSINGVA program

VA Manufactured Home Loan

A VA-backed loan to buy a manufactured home, a lot for one, or both. Whether the home is permanently affixed to a lot and counts as real property under state law decides which VA rules apply, and the VA funding fee for a home that is not permanently affixed is 1%, unless you are exempt.

Available with a VA home loan Certificate of Eligibility

View on VA.gov

Step-by-step guide

What you get

A VA-backed loan to buy a manufactured home, a home and a lot, or a lot for a home you own. Which VA rules apply depends on whether the home is permanently affixed to land and counts as real property under your state's law.

What VA looks for: how the home sits on the land

A home affixed to land and classed as real propertyThe home is permanently affixed to a lot you own or are buying, and is real property under the laws of your state. Your state's law decides whether it counts as real property.
A COE, credit and income, and a home you will live inAs with any VA-backed purchase loan: a COE, credit and income that meet VA and lender standards, and a plan to live in the home.

Source: 38 CFR 36.4301 (opens in new tab); VA.gov: VA-backed purchase loan (opens in new tab); 38 CFR 36.4340 (opens in new tab); 38 CFR 36.4303(g) (opens in new tab)

Is the home permanently affixed to land?

Affixed to land, as real property
When the home is permanently affixed to a lot you own or are buying, and your state's law treats it as real property, it can be financed under the same VA rules as other homes. A loan for the home and the lot together counts as one loan.
Source: 38 CFR 36.4301 (opens in new tab); VA.gov: VA-backed purchase loan (opens in new tab)
Not affixed as real property: the home, a lot, or both
A different set of VA rules covers a manufactured home that is not permanently affixed to land as real property. Under those rules the loan can buy a single-wide or double-wide home, with or without a lot to put it on; buy a lot for a home you already own; or refinance the loan on your home while you buy a lot for it.
1. A home that meets VA's standardsA single-wide must be at least 10 feet wide with at least 400 square feet of floor space; a double-wide, once joined, at least 20 feet wide with at least 700 square feet. It must be built to be towed on a chassis and have permanent heat, sleeping, cooking, and sanitary facilities for year-round living. A home that displays the label for the federal manufactured home construction and safety standards is acceptable to VA as security for the loan.
2. A site VA acceptsA rented site must be in a park or subdivision VA accepts, or be a site VA accepts. Where VA has not ruled on a site outside a park, you and the dealer certify that it meets local zoning, has water and sanitary facilities the local authority approves, is on an all-weather road, has no known hazards, and is free of harmful scenic or environmental conditions. A lot you own or buy with the loan must be one VA accepts as a home site.
3. A COE, credit and income, and a home you will live inYou need a COE. VA looks for payments that fit your income and expenses, and for satisfactory credit. You certify that you will live in the home; if you are on active duty and cannot, your spouse certifies instead.
4. An itemized list, checked when the loan is madeYou and VA each get an itemized list of everything the loan pays for. When the loan is made, an independent inspector checks that each item is there.
Source: 38 CFR 36.4204(a) (opens in new tab); VA.gov: VA funding fee and closing costs (opens in new tab); 38 CFR 36.4207 (opens in new tab); 38 CFR 36.4231 (opens in new tab); 38 CFR 36.4208 (opens in new tab); VA.gov: VA-backed purchase loan (opens in new tab); 38 CFR 36.4206(a) (opens in new tab); 38 CFR 36.4206(d) (opens in new tab); 38 CFR 36.4204(g) (opens in new tab)

What to gather, and what it shows VA

Documents for this benefit: what each is, what it shows VA, and how VA gets it
Document	What it shows	How VA gets it	Have it?
Your COE The certificate VA issues for the home loan benefit.	That you have the home loan benefit	Request it online on VA.gov, through your lender, or by mail on VA Form 26-1880. Show it to your lender.	Yes
Income, savings, and credit records Records of your income, savings, and debts that the lender asks for.	That the payments fit your income	They go to the lender, not to VA or BeneVets. Your lender may ask for more papers before closing.	Yes
Papers for the land and the home Papers for the home and the lot it is affixed to. Your lender tells you which ones it needs.	That the home is affixed to the lot and counts as real property	They go to your lender, not to VA or BeneVets. Your state's law decides what counts as real property.	Yes
Papers for the lot For a lot the loan buys or improves: the deed, or another interest VA accepts, such as a lease that runs, or that you can renew at your option, for at least 14 years past the end of the loan and that can be assigned or transferred.	Your right to the lot where the home will sit	They go to your lender, not to VA or BeneVets. Your title must be one that title companies and attorneys in your area would accept.	Yes
Federal standards label on the home The certification the home displays showing it meets the federal manufactured home construction and safety standards.	That the home was built to federal standards	It is displayed on the home itself. BeneVets does not ask for it.
The written warranty For a new home, the manufacturer's written warranty. For a used home bought from a dealer, the dealer's written warranty.	What the maker or dealer must fix	A new home comes with it on delivery; a dealer gives it for a used home. VA issues its backing for the loan only after a copy you signed for goes in with the loan papers.	Yes
Itemized list of what the loan covers A list of every item included in the loan, given to you and to VA.	What the loan pays for	An independent inspector checks, when the loan is made, that each listed item is there. Keep your copy; BeneVets does not ask for it.	Yes

Loan papers go to your lender, and the COE request goes to VA. BeneVets does not ask for copies of them.

Steps, in order

Request your COE
Request it online on VA.gov, ask your lender to request it for you, or mail VA Form 26-1880 to your regional loan center.
Source: VA.gov: how to request a VA home loan COE (opens in new tab); VA Form 26-1880 (opens in new tab)
Get free help with the COE request
Free help: an accredited VSO can file this with you. Find one near you in the BeneVets VSO directory at Find an accredited VSO near you. VA home loan representatives also answer questions at 877-827-3702, Monday through Friday, 8:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. ET.
Source: VA.gov: accredited representatives (opens in new tab); 38 CFR 14.627(h) (opens in new tab); VA Home Loans: contact us (opens in new tab); VA.gov: how to request a VA home loan COE (opens in new tab)
Find out how the home will be classed
Ask your lender whether the home will be permanently affixed to land you own or are buying, and whether your state treats it as real property. That decides which VA rules and which funding fee apply.
Source: 38 CFR 36.4301 (opens in new tab); VA.gov: VA funding fee and closing costs (opens in new tab)
Choose a lender
You go through a private bank, mortgage company, or credit union, not VA. Rates and fees differ, so compare several, and ask whether each one makes VA manufactured home loans.
Source: VA.gov: buying a home with a VA-backed loan (opens in new tab); VA.gov: VA-backed purchase loan (opens in new tab)
Check the home and the site
Check the home's size and its federal standards label against VA's standards. Ask your lender whether VA accepts the park, rented site, or lot where the home will sit.
Source: 38 CFR 36.4207 (opens in new tab); 38 CFR 36.4231 (opens in new tab); 38 CFR 36.4208 (opens in new tab)
Check your funding fee
The fee is 1% of the loan for a home that is not permanently affixed, and the purchase loan rate for one that is. You can pay it at closing or add it to the loan. Check VA's list of who pays no fee, such as a veteran who receives VA compensation for a service-connected disability.
Source: VA.gov: VA funding fee and closing costs (opens in new tab); 38 CFR 36.4232(e) (opens in new tab)
Close on a home that is not affixed
When the loan is made, an independent inspector checks the itemized list. For a new home, or a used home bought from a dealer, a copy of the warranty you signed for goes in with the loan papers. Costs the loan does not cover are paid in cash, and so are closing costs on any land, except on a loan that refinances your home and buys a lot.
Source: 38 CFR 36.4204(g) (opens in new tab); 38 CFR 36.4231 (opens in new tab); 38 CFR 36.4204(h) (opens in new tab)
Close on an affixed home
As on any VA purchase loan, only the funding fee can be added to the loan, and other fees and charges are paid when the loan closes.
Source: VA.gov: VA funding fee and closing costs (opens in new tab); 38 CFR 36.4313(a) (opens in new tab)

Good to know

The funding fee

On VA's chart effective April 7, 2023, the funding fee for a manufactured home loan on a home that is not permanently affixed is 1%, whatever your down payment or past use. A home permanently affixed to land as real property is bought with a VA purchase loan, which uses the purchase loan chart. No fee for a veteran who receives VA compensation for a service-connected disability, or who would but gets retirement or active-duty pay instead. Also exempt: a surviving spouse receiving DIC, a service member with a pre-discharge proposed or memorandum rating issued before closing, and an active-duty Purple Heart recipient who shows proof by closing. If VA later awards compensation with an effective date before your closing, you can ask your VA regional loan center about a refund.

Source: VA.gov: VA funding fee and closing costs (opens in new tab); VA.gov: VA-backed purchase loan (opens in new tab); 38 CFR 36.4232(e) (opens in new tab); 38 CFR 36.4301 (opens in new tab)

A past manufactured home loan and later fees

If you used a VA home loan in the past only to buy a manufactured home, you still pay the first-use funding fee on a later VA purchase, construction, or cash-out loan.

Source: VA.gov: VA funding fee and closing costs (opens in new tab)

The longest loan terms (not affixed)

VA's rules set the longest terms: 20 years and 32 days for a single-wide home, with or without a lot; 23 years and 32 days for a double-wide home; 25 years and 32 days for a double-wide home and lot; and 15 years and 32 days for a lot for a home you already own. A used home's term is no longer than the home's remaining life as VA sets it, if that is shorter.

Source: 38 CFR 36.4204(f) (opens in new tab)

What the loan can cover (not affixed)

For a new home bought alone, with no lot or site work in the loan, the loan can be no more than 95 percent of the price, so at least 5 percent is paid in cash. New means no one has lived in it, and it was built less than 1 year before you apply. For a used home, the loan can be no more than VA's value plus certain recording fees, taxes, and insurance. For a lot, it can be no more than VA's value of the lot, plus site preparation VA approves for an undeveloped lot. Costs the loan does not cover are paid in cash from your own funds. Closing costs and prepaid items on the land part of the loan are paid in cash too, except on a loan that refinances your home and buys a lot.

Source: 38 CFR 36.4202 (opens in new tab); 38 CFR 36.4204(b) (opens in new tab); 38 CFR 36.4204(c) (opens in new tab); 38 CFR 36.4204(h) (opens in new tab)

One manufactured home at a time

After buying a manufactured home with a VA loan, you cannot buy a second one with a VA loan until you no longer own the first, or it was destroyed by fire or another natural hazard. Any home loan benefit you have left can still go toward other VA home loans.

Source: 38 CFR 36.4203(b) (opens in new tab)

BeneVets is informational and is not an accredited representative. Free help: an accredited VSO can work through VA benefits with you at no cost. Find an accredited VSO near you