WASHINGTON -- The tenant bill of rights, signed by Defense senior leaders last week, may soon include three more key provisions to help rebuild trust about privatized housing, officials said Tuesday.
The document has 15 provisions to ensure service members and their families receive fair treatment under the Military Housing Privatization Initiative. It was signed Feb. 25 by Secretary of Defense Mark Esper, Secretary of the Army Ryan McCarthy and the other service secretaries.
The three additional provisions propose to provide military tenants a dispute resolution process, the right to withhold rent until a dispute is resolved, and access to a building's maintenance history before the move-in date, officials told the House Committee on Appropriations' military subcommittee.
"Since early last year, the DOD has been working to address the concerns of our military families," said Pete Potochney, the acting assistant secretary of defense for sustainment, in written testimony to the Capitol Hill hearing.
"We recognize and acknowledge that our oversight of the program had not been up to the standards established at the outset," which includes leadership engagement, he added.
The tenant bill of rights included inputs from close to 200,000 households. Within the original provisions, Soldiers are given the right to reside in a house and community that meets health and environmental standards. They are also assured the right to report inadequate housing or deficiencies without fear of reprisal or retaliation.
Additional provisions under the document include the right of access to a military tenant advocate or a military legal assistance attorney through their installation's housing management office.
Tenants have the right to communicate directly with the landlord and maintenance staff. Further, they were assured access to an electronic work order system, where they can request maintenance and track progress of the work. (To read the full tenant bill of rights, Soldiers can click on the related link below.)
The National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2020 included significant modifications and additions to the MHPI legal framework, Potochney said, rendering the initial bill of rights insufficient. To fix the issue, Defense officials are working with MHPI partners on improved dispute resolution and rent withholding processes, he added.
The tenant bill of rights, along with an MHPI tenant responsibilities document, "will help provide consistency across the program for all residents, many of whom live on multiple installations during their career," Potochney said.
"Rebuilding trust with service members and their families will take time, and we are committed to this effort," he added. The reconstitution of program oversight will restore "trust with military families living in privatized housing, and enhance the spirit of collaboration with our private sector partners ... ensuring the viability of the program well into the future."
Related Links:
Military Housing Privatization Initiative Tenant Bill of Rights
Army Housing Summit set to forge path forward in housing reinvestment
Housing surveys at Fort Benning showing increased rates of resident satisfaction
Army Secretary Ryan D. McCarthy, other service secretaries, meet with housing executives
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