THIA Is Inclusive Of The Entire Industry
THIA needs to remain focused on our mission and vision to create safety standards for tiny hames and open doors for tiny homes as dwellings that are permissible and permanent. Our goal is to be inclusive of the entire industry, that is the nature of consensus.
Inclusion Does Not Imply Endorsement
Links or images that are published on this website or social media, which are associated with any person, company, organization or entity or to the brands, trademarks, products and/or services of any such person, company, organization or entity do not constitute or imply any endorsement, recommendation or preference by the THIA or by any person or group of people acting on behalf of the THIA.
Vetting Process
THIA has a requirement that builders that join THIA are a licensed contractor or are certified by a third-party agency. There are different levels of inspection and certification that we are presenting for the consumer to make their best choice, starting with an inspection video documentation, meeting the requirements of ASTM 541 and E699, or accredited by ANSI, IAS, and A2LA.
Transport companies must have liability insurance and cargo insurance. We have included a link to the US Department of Transportation where you can check the status of their driving record and insurance status.
Further vetting will be the responsibility of the individual choosing the service, THIA is only providing choices.
As an Association we strive to share best practices for safe building and ethical business practices with our Members and the entire Industry.
Due Diligence
A more thorough vetting of any service you find listed here or any other tiny hame resource should be up to the individual requiring the service. Never take the word of anyone that says you can legally live in an area unless you verify the information. Find your permissible place to live first, we are still seeing the sad stories where people are kicked out of where they want to live.
Common Problems That Can Be Avoided For The Consumer
- Research the builder
- Find out what standards the builder builds too. Common building code and standards are NFPA 1192, ANSI 119.5, IRC, IBC, HUD, or a combination
- Is the builder a licensed contractor or certified by a third-party agency?
- Does the 3rd party agency have oversight?
- The most common problem is building tiny homes without egress, a way to escape from the loft
- Research your insurance requirements first, what do they accept and require. Wood stoves have installation and EPA requirements
- Does the builder have insurance to protect your home while it is being built?
- Make sure your own insurance is effective, the moment the tiny hame leaves the building site.
- Disclose everything to the insurance company to make sure claims are paid.
- Building a tiny home yourself and thinking of foregoing insurance. Think again
- Get a contract with your builder and go over it and make sure everything has been addressed
- Ask about their warranty, make sure it is on the contract that is signed by both
- Make sure you have working smoke and carbon monoxide detectors that you change and test on scheduled dates
- Have a fire extinguisher in several areas of your tiny home
Suggestions For Builders To Prevent Common Problems
- Please do not use images of other builders on your websites
- Make sure you have insurance coverage on the tiny homes you are building for others
- Become certified for added credibility
- Never build lofts without means of egress, this is the main problem we are seeing
- Get a contract with your client and go over it and make sure everything has been addressed
- Never ignore problems with your client, that is how bad reviews go viral on social media, yelp, leading to Better Business Bureau and Attorney General complaints
- Display your warranty on your website and contract that is signed by both parties
Removal Of Members
Membership may be revoked at any time in response to behavior that may be interpreted as unethical, improper, illegal or damaging to the tiny hame industry that has been proven.
THIA Cannot Be Involved In Disputes
THIA will document complaints, but we cannot be in the middle of two unsatisfied parties that have found their services here or on any other resource for tiny homes, Legally we cannot give advice, take sides, mediate or comment. If the complaint is about a board member, we will ask the board member to contact you directly to resolve any issues.
