What Is PFGMH Foundation Certification?

PFGMH stands for Permanent Foundations Guide for Manufactured Housing. It is a HUD guide used in evaluating and designing permanent foundations for manufactured homes. When a lender asks for “PFGMH certification,” it is usually asking for a professional report addressing the home’s foundation against the specified criteria—not a copy of the guide.

Have a foundation-report condition on your loan? Request a foundation inspection. Send the lender’s exact wording with the property address.

When is a PFGMH inspection needed?

Most often when a manufactured home is financed with an FHA loan, or when a lender requires a permanent foundation before it treats the home as real property. Other loan programs and lenders set their own conditions, so the request in your file is what decides it. Lenders also call the same report a HUD engineering report or a permanent foundation certification. Our guide to ordering a HUD engineering report lists the names and what each usually asks for.

What does the foundation report address?

The report addresses the agreed foundation question for the identified property. The engineer’s work may involve the supporting system, anchorage, accessible conditions, and relevant information about the home and installation. The actual findings and scope determine what can be stated in the report.

HUD’s Permanent Foundations Guide is a technical reference for manufactured homes on permanent foundations. It considers the relationship between the home, foundation, and site. A property-specific engineering report applies the requested scope to a particular home; the guide itself does not certify an individual address.

Does permanent skirting mean a permanent foundation?

You should not infer foundation compliance from the appearance of the skirting. The enclosure around the bottom of a manufactured home does not, by itself, establish how the home is supported or secured. A finished exterior can conceal conditions that need review.

Describe what is present when you request the inspection, but avoid selecting repairs based only on appearance. The engineering question is about the relevant system and the lender’s criteria, not whether the perimeter looks finished.

Is PFGMH the same as an affidavit of affixation?

No. A foundation certification is an engineering document. An affidavit or other title document concerning affixation serves a different purpose in the property’s legal and title records. The title company or relevant recording office can identify what is required for that transaction.

A foundation report does not, by itself, retire a manufactured-home title or complete a real-property conversion. Our foundation certification versus affixation guide explains how to keep those requests organized.

Who should order the report?

The buyer, owner, lender, agent, or another authorized party may help arrange the work. Before someone places an order, agree on who is responsible for the fee, who can provide access, and who should receive the report. One clear request is preferable to several parties ordering overlapping work.

If you are a loan officer, include the full condition and the intended report recipient. If you are a buyer or homeowner, ask your lender to confirm that wording before you select a service.

What information should you send?

1. The property address and state.
2. The lender’s written foundation requirement.
3. The transaction type and requested report date.
4. Existing engineering reports, if available.
5. Known alterations, additions, or prior repairs.
6. The contact who can arrange the inspection.

If you have an older foundation report, send it with the request. The lender can say whether it may be usable for the current file or whether new documentation is required. Do not assume that an old report is automatically acceptable or automatically invalid.

What if the home does not meet the requested criteria?

The report should describe the findings within the agreed scope. Depending on the conditions, the next step could involve additional information, a repair scope, completed repairs, or further review. Ask which work is included in the original assignment and what would be separately quoted.

Certification depends on the findings. An engineering fee is not a payment for a guaranteed favorable result, and the lender remains responsible for its lending decision.

Get the foundation question answered

Review Scapular’s PFGMH and affixation services, then request the report your property needs. If you are still collecting information, the inspection preparation checklist gives you a practical starting point.