Surety Bond Encyclopedia

Manufactured Home Installer ($5,000) Bond - Statewide in South Carolina

Brief Summary

The South Carolina Manufactured Housing Board will not license an independent installer until a $5,000 bond on its own form is in the file. It is one of the smallest and simplest pieces of the application, it is priced as a flat annual premium for most installers, and it comes back ready to mail with the rest of the package.

South Carolina requires every licensed manufactured home installer to furnish a $5,000 surety bond to the South Carolina Manufactured Housing Board under S.C. Code 40-29-230. The bond is filed at the time of application on the Board's Manufactured Housing Surety Bond form. Installers who work directly for a licensed retail dealer as employees fall outside the statutory definition of installer and are licensed under their employer instead of posting their own bond.

We can help with all South Carolina bonds!

How to Apply for a Manufactured Home Installer ($5,000) Bond:

Confirm you install on your own account and are not a direct employee of a licensed retail dealer.
Complete approved installer training and pass the PSI exam.
Gather proof of two years of relevant experience, ID, Social Security card, seven year background checks, a credit report and Department of Revenue registration.
Complete the bond application and review the quoted premium.
Pay the premium and receive the executed $5,000 bond on the Board's Manufactured Housing Surety Bond form.
Mail the bond with the Contractor, Repairer and Installer application and the $100 fee payable to SCMHB.
Renew by December 30 of the renewal year and keep the bond in force.

Detailed Information About the South Carolina Manufactured Home Installer ($5,000) Bond:

Check first whether you are the one who posts it

South Carolina defines an installer in S.C. Code 40-29-20 as a person or entity, other than an employee of a licensed manufactured home retail dealer, who installs manufactured housing for valuable consideration. The Board's licensure page puts it plainly: installers who are directly employed by retail sales centers are licensed under their employers. If you install on your own account or as a subcontractor, you need your own license and your own $5,000 bond.

The amount

Section 40-29-230 sets the bond by license type, and it is one flat figure for installers. Contractors, installers and repairers each post $5,000. For comparison, retail dealers post $30,000 per location, salespersons $15,000 and manufacturers $75,000 per location. The surety's liability is capped at the bond amount per license term.

Form and obligee

The bond must be on the Board's Manufactured Housing Surety Bond form, revision 9/21, with the South Carolina Manufactured Housing Board, State of South Carolina as obligee. It guarantees that the installer will comply with the duties of a licensee under Title 40, Chapter 29. Either the surety or the installer can cancel with at least 30 days written notice before the effective date. The Board cannot release the bond until all claims and complaints against the licensee are finally resolved or until three years after the licensee stops doing business in South Carolina, whichever comes later.

What else the Board requires

The bond is filed with the Contractor, Repairer and Installer application along with a $100 application fee payable to SCMHB. The application also calls for proof of at least two years of relevant experience, a certificate of completion for approved installer training, a PSI exam report, a copy of your ID and Social Security card, criminal background checks from every state you lived in during the past seven years, a credit report and proof of registration with the Department of Revenue. An application stays open for one year from the date the Board receives it.

Keeping the license

The Board's licensure page states that licensees who do not pay renewal fees by December 30 of the renewal year let the license lapse and must apply again as a new applicant. Keep the bond in force for the entire license term.

How premium is set

The surety sets the premium based mainly on the installer's personal credit and claim history. At a $5,000 bond amount most applicants are quoted a small flat annual premium.

Eligibility and Requirements for a South Carolina Manufactured Home Installer ($5,000) Bond:

Bond amount of exactly $5,000 for the installer license.
South Carolina Manufactured Housing Board, State of South Carolina named as obligee.
Board prescribed Manufactured Housing Surety Bond form, revision 9/21.
Bond filed at the time of application as a condition of licensure.
Personal credit review, which mainly sets the premium.

South Carolina Manufactured Home Installer ($5,000) Bond FAQs:

I set homes for a dealer. Do I need my own bond?

Only if you are not the dealer's direct employee. The statute excludes employees of a licensed retail dealer from the definition of installer, and the Board licenses those installers under their employer. Independent installers and subcontractors post their own $5,000 bond.

Is the amount different if I also do repairs?

Contractor, installer and repairer licenses each carry a $5,000 bond under S.C. Code 40-29-230. The bond form lists each license type, so make sure it shows the license you are applying for.

Who is the obligee?

The South Carolina Manufactured Housing Board, State of South Carolina, as printed on the Board's bond form.

When is the bond released after I stop installing?

Not until all claims and complaints against you are finally resolved or three years after you stop doing business in South Carolina, whichever is later.

Can I use a license from another South Carolina board instead?

The Board's notice to building officials states that a license issued by the SC Manufactured Housing Board is required for all manufactured home installations.