In British Columbia, you cannot legally sell a manufactured/mobile home (sometimes known as a trailer) without either a CSA (Canadian Standards Association) or BC Electrical Safety Authority (BCESA) certification. When a trailer is manufactured in Canada, its manufacturer applies a decal, usually on the exterior near the front door, with its CSA number, and sometimes inside the home in the kitchen or electrical panel. Read on to find out what to watch out for if you’re buying or selling a manufactured home.
Often, owners will make upgrades or additions to their manufactured homes. It is quite common for owners to re-clad the unit in a different type of siding, for example, or to build a front porch/mudroom over the front door. When this is done, they often inadvertently cover up or destroy the CSA label which can cause serious problems when it comes time to sell.
I recently read a case where a buyer renovated the kitchen of the manufactured home she had bought. When she went to sell it, the REALTOR® advised her that he couldn’t list the property because it did not have a CSA sticker. This lady had unfortunately removed the kitchen cabinets including the CSA sticker.
Your only option if you do not have a CSA label or sticker on your unit is to have an electrical contractor visit and do a thorough electrical safety survey, which can cost several thousand dollars. A full recertification should probably be done if any electrical work has been done on the unit without a permit or by a non-professional.
is the sticker on the kitchen cubered door legal because iam trying to sell my manufactured home and was told that it was not good enough i need the sticker out side is this true
No it is not true. The Manufactured Home Act specifies that it needs a sticker for it to be listed for sale and sold. It doesn’t matter where that sticker is. It is often on the electrical panel but is sometimes in a cupboard or outside by the front door. If you have had electrical renovations done without a permit, you need to have the thing re-inspected. If you electrical work was done with a permit, your permit number works to satisfy s. 21 of the BC Safety Authority. A silver label will be applied if work was done and recertified.
Thanks for clarifying!
As a Nanaimo Electrician and Certified Electrical contractor, specializing in mobile home recertifications, in the Central Island Region, Nanaimo is our base of operations…
We have run into this question many times, about the label outside being missing, but the one in the kitchen cabinets still being there.
When we have approached the BC Safety Authority to determine if the sticker in the kitchen cupboards was enough, we have been told “no” without the sticker or medallion from the outside of the mobile, it was not enough on its own.
For more information on this subject, do a Google search for Mobile Home Recertification or Silver Label Recertification and you should find some good resources…
Hope that helps… 🙂
How much does it cost for the whole process, approx?
I found a Westinghouse sticker on my breaker panel with a csa number, is that good enough, this work was done about 5 years ago?
Can you tell me any companies in Alberta that will recertify a trailer
What happens if you purchase a manufactured home directly from the owner and the sticker is missing, but you don’t notice until after the sale is complete?
You will have to get an electrician to do an inspection, it will cost you a few thousand.
What if I bring a mobile home from the USA?
What type of recertification is required?
We have a CSS sticker on our mobile but some paint dropped over it . There was also a sticker put in the electric box with the numbers recorded . You can tell all numbers showing are an exact match . Will this be sufficient
I am curious, what if you bought an older Manufactured home from a realtor and there is a sticker by the front door but once you take possession of the place you see areas and wiring that just does not seem right. These were hidden when we visually seen the place….I need to do some renos and want to get a permit but not sure how to proceed without this problem costing me a lot of money,,,,any ideas???
Please does anyone have an ideas on how this works?
Is my CSA sticker invalid if I paint the exterior of my trailer? I’ve aleady painted. Our landlord is a dick and he denies me everything, so I just went ahead and painted without permission. I hate being just another white trailer in the park. I have to stick out like a sore thumb with a beautiful Hampton Gray colour. So, now I’m wondering if because I didn’t fill an application request to paint, is my CSA sticker invalid now? Not like I’m ever gonna sell my place but just wondering. Anyone? Thanks!