Tie-Down Inspection

Since the occurrence of Hurricane Andrew in 1992, Manufactured and Mobile Home (MMH) insurance policies have become much more stringent. Since then, mobile homes have required updated standards that need to be met in order to be deemed safe for Florida's high velocity winds that occur during tropical storm and hurricane seasons. To ensure that these requirements are met, a tie down inspection is necessary. A mobile home tie down is a metal strap that comes from the footings of the structure and wraps into the structure of the mobile home. This is designed to help prevent uplift or rolling over of a mobile home during a high wind occurrence .

 

A study published in 2020 by researchers at the University of Auburn in Alabama, found that:

 

"A primary driver of the high fatality rates is the typical failure sequence of [MMH] homes. MMHs usually experience anchorage failures prior to any other structural failures, resulting in an increased risk of rolling or lofting…This study finds that several factors contribute towards this non-ideal failure sequence, including defective tie-down straps, premature ground anchor pullout, inadequate code requirements, and the increasingly common use of alternative, pan-style anchorage systems."