Iowa Admin. Code r. 701—282.7(423) — Sales of mobile homes, manufactured housing, and related property and services

282.7(1) Sales of mobile homes, manufactured housing, and related property and services for one package price. This rule is applicable only to mobile homes and manufactured housing sold as tangible personal property rather than in the form of real property. If, at the time of the sale, a mobile home or manufactured housing is real property, this rule is not applicable to it. If a mobile home dealer buys a mobile home, incorporates that mobile home into real estate in the manner required by and described in Iowa Code section 435.26, and then sells the mobile home to a consumer, the sale of that mobile home, the sale of any services used to transform the mobile home from tangible personal property to real property, and the sale of any tangible personal property with the mobile home (such as furniture) are governed by rule 701—Chapter 219 , which deals with building contracts and building contractors. Sales of manufactured housing in the form of real estate are governed by rule 701—282.8(423). When a customer purchases a mobile home or manufactured housing from a dealer, the customer often wants the dealer to prepare the mobile home or manufactured housing so that it is ready for the customer to move into it. To render a mobile home or manufactured housing “ready to move into,” a dealer may sell, with the home or housing, certain tangible personal property and will also perform or arrange for other parties to perform various services. With respect to any one particular mobile home or manufactured house that a dealer may sell, a dealer may provide any combination of the following services or provide the following services and sell the below-listed property to any person purchasing the home or house: a. Connect the electricity. b. Connect the water. c. Connect sewer system lines. d. Sell and install skirting. Skirting is used to fill the space between the bottom of the mobile home or manufactured house and the ground. It gives the home or house an appearance more like a conventional home because it covers up this space. e. Build and install steps for a door. f. Build a deck. g. Do minor repairs. h. Install and sell a foundation upon which to place the mobile home or manufactured housing. i. Sell furniture or appliances (e.g., air conditioners, refrigerators, and stoves) for use in the mobile home or manufactured housing. Install the appliance (e.g., an air conditioner) if necessary. A dealer selling a mobile home or manufactured housing on a “ready-to-move-into” basis usually sells that home or housing and the services and additional property necessary to render it livable for one “package price.” The dealer and customer do not bargain separately for the sale of the various articles of tangible personal property (e.g., the mobile home or manufactured house and appliances) or the services (e.g., electrical installation) that are part of this package price; nor is the dealer’s package price broken down to indicate any of the expenses that are components of the package price either in the dealer’s sales contract or on any sales invoice. The package price of any one particular mobile home or manufactured house will vary depending upon how many services the dealer will provide or how much tangible personal property the dealer will sell in addition to the home or house. In many cases, a dealer will contract with a third party to perform the Revenue[701]Ch 282, p.2 IAC 2/5/25 services promised in the dealer’s contract to a customer. For example, the dealer will contract with a third party to hook up the home or house purchaser’s electricity, install window air conditioning, or build a deck or perform minor repairs on the mobile home or manufactured house. In the situation described above, the “purchase price” of a mobile home or manufactured house is the entire package price charged for the home or house, additional personal property for use in and around the home or house, and services performed to render the home or house livable. The entire amount of the package price, reduced by 80 percent, as explained in rule 701—219.7(423), is used to calculate the amount of use tax due resulting from the sale of the mobile home or manufactured house. No part of the package price is subject to Iowa sales tax; rather, it is subject to Iowa use tax. 282.7(2) Sales of property and rendition of service under separate contract. If the personal property and services listed in subrule 282.7(1) are purchased under separate contract and not as part of one package price with a mobile home or manufactured house, either from a mobile home dealer or from another party, the price paid for those items of property or services will not be a part of the purchase price of the home or house. Because the price of the property or services is not part of the “purchase price” of a home or house, that price will not be reduced by 80 percent as required under rule 701—219.7(423) in computing the use tax due upon the sale of a mobile home. Also, if sold in Iowa, the property would be subject to Iowa sales tax. The same is true of services rendered in Iowa. If separately contracted for, the sales price of the following services sold is subject to Iowa sales tax under Iowa Code section 423.2(6): a. Electrical hookup and air conditioning installation (electrical installation). b. Water and sewer system hookup (plumbing). c. Skirting installation and building and installation of steps and decks (carpentry). d. Nearly all “minor repairs.” The sale, under separate contract, of skirting, steps, decks, furniture, appliances, and other tangible personal property to customers purchasing mobile homes or manufactured housing are sales of tangible personal property; the sales price is subject to Iowa sales rather than use tax. The installation of a concrete slab on which to place the mobile home or manufactured housing is not a service taxable to the home or housing owner since this installation involves “new construction” and the service performed upon this new construction is thus exempt from tax. The person installing the concrete slab is treated as a construction contractor and pays sales tax upon any tangible personal property purchased and used in the construction of the slab. More information is contained in rule 701—Chapter 219. 282.7(3) Dealer purchases of tangible personal property and services for resale. Regardless of whether the tangible personal property and services connected with the purchase of a mobile home or manufactured housing have been purchased as part of a package price or whether their purchase has been separately contracted for, a dealer’s or other retailer’s purchase of the tangible personal property or service for subsequent resale to a mobile home or manufactured housing purchaser is a purchase “for resale” and thus exempt from Iowa sales or use tax.