Housing survey feedback vital to quality of life improvements

By Keith PannellDecember 2, 2020

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BAUMHOLDER, Germany – The U.S. Army’s Fall 2020 Tenant Satisfaction Survey, formerly the Housing Satisfaction Survey, begins Dec. 2 for all Army Housing residents.

The Baumholder Housing Office is excited the survey is getting started after a delay from September.

“The Tenant Satisfaction Survey allows residents who live in Army-controlled housing an opportunity to vocalize what they need from housing,” said Charm Sutton, Baumholder Housing Customer Service chief.

That could include certain amenities or certain preferences they want to see in housing. The survey also allows the resident to voice what they’re satisfied, or not satisfied with.

Every sponsor in military housing will soon receive an email with a link and password to the survey. Last year, only 26%, or 195 of the 747 Baumholder housing residents available, filled out the survey.

“When they neglect to take the survey, nothing changes, things remain status quo,” said Sutton. “Taking the survey gives residents an opportunity to request things they desire in their housing.”

Harald Kastner, Baumholder Military Housing chief, said within the last year there have been numerous improvements to housing based on previous survey results.

“We’ve done work to bring almost 400 units up to standard,” Kastner said. “We’ve right-sized (taking a building of 16 units and making it a building of 12 larger units) eight of our buildings and plan to do more.”

Kastner added that within the last year Baumholder Housing has begun adding rolladens (sun shades which can be rolled up or down) and balconies to the 60 year-old buildings. Sutton added that the command policy on air conditioners was changed in May 2020 to allow residents to purchase one air conditioner per unit.

“Those upgrades and changes come directly from these surveys,” Kastner added.

The survey is made up of ten multiple-part questions and only one survey can be filled out per household. The Army understands residents get a lot of spam and fake email, so any email or information about the Tenant Satisfaction Survey will have the Office of Management and Budget number 0704-0553, as well as the expiration date of March 31, 2022, on it.

“I would ask every household to take this survey,” Sutton said. “Otherwise, you have all these people who don’t live in your community telling you what you need in your community. How effective is that?”

“The survey is an opportunity for residents to voice what they think is working and what is not,” said Col. Vance Klosinski, USAG Rheinland-Pfalz commander. “Even if you’re brand new to the community, give us your first impressions. Please take a few minutes to fill out the survey and help create a better place for fellow Soldiers and families to live.”

OMB Control Number: 0704-0553; OMB Exp. Date: 03/31/2022