After a year of frustration, military families are anticipating the inclusion of badly needed protections into the Pentagon’s new “tenant bill of rights” by May 1, designed to address longstanding complaints about the quality of privatized living quarters of U.S. service personnel.
It has been over a year since concerned military families testified before House and Senate lawmakers about the unsanitary conditions of military housing, citing such problems as rodent infestations, black mold and water leaks.
Pentagon service secretaries have signed the bill of rights with 15 protections for military tenants. But three of the protections are still under discussion, according to a report in The Military Times: a “dispute resolution process” between tenants and private landlords; a process for “withholding rent during a dispute;” and a “maintenance history” report of the house before a family moves in.
Despite the discussions, Department of Defense officials insist the tenant bill of rights should be ready by May 1.
William Jordan Gillis, nominee for assistant secretary of defense for sustainment, fielded a number of questions on the privatized housing issue at his Wednesday confirmation hearing.
Meeting the May 1 deadline is “exactly what we’re driving for,” Mr. Gillis told lawmakers. “If we need any help, if confirmed, I wouldn’t hesitate to come and ask you for it.”
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