Complaints regarding the condition of homes on military bases, including lead poisoning, mold, and poor construction, have become worse since the problems were first revealed in a Reuters investigation last August. NBC News did a follow-up piece Friday examining whether there’s been any improvement but discovered that the amount of complaints by military families has risen, now receiving the attention of lawmakers.
Issues About Poor Military Housing Worsen
In a survey conducted by the Military Family Advisory Network, 55% of 16,000 respondents reported a “negative” or “very negative” experience with privatized military housing. Respondents reported cases of black mold, lead paint, and asbestos, and many said they were facing “chronic illnesses,” such as respiratory ailments, as a result of housing conditions. A petition to draw awareness of such complaints that circulated last October garnered in excess of 3,000 signatures.
“We let down some of our residents,” said John Picerne, founder and CEO of Corvias, a private company that runs military housing, at a U.S. Senate Armed Services Committee hearing last month. “I am sorry, and we are going to fix it.” He told NBC News that Corvias was working on a backlog of work orders and will improve its response time to service requests. The company also said it was hiring a consulting firm to review its mold and mildew procedures.
The Senate is now introducing legislation to require tougher oversight of private landlords. The Department of Defense is proposing a new tenant bill of rights that is designed to improve the overall accountability of privatized housing companies and provide local military leaders more oversight authority. “We have been deeply troubled by the deficient housing conditions,” Col. Kyle Reed said in a written statement to NBC News. “Corvias’ performance has been poor and inadequate up to this point. However, we are seeing improvements daily.”..
The military began privatizing its housing in the 1990s. About 30% of military families reside on military bases. The majority of housing located on bases-which serves about 700,000 service members and their families-is operated by private contractors.
Have a questions or concern? Nick, Cindy & Nicholas Davis with RE/MAX Premier Group are here to assist you with all your Real Estate Needs. We are always available at 813-300-7116 to answer your questions or you can simply click here and we will be in touch with you shortly.
Ways Our Family Can Help Your Family
