{"id":29854,"date":"2018-12-21T22:22:58","date_gmt":"2018-12-21T22:22:58","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/marinecorpstimes\/uncategorized\/2018\/12\/21\/privatized-military-housing-is-plagued-with-shoddy-workmanship-raw-sewage-rotten-wood-and-chronic-leaks\/"},"modified":"2026-08-08T06:33:51","modified_gmt":"2026-08-08T06:33:51","slug":"privatized-military-housing-is-plagued-with-shoddy-workmanship-raw-sewage-rotten-wood-and-chronic-leaks","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/marinecorpstimes\/pay-benefits\/2018\/12\/21\/privatized-military-housing-is-plagued-with-shoddy-workmanship-raw-sewage-rotten-wood-and-chronic-leaks\/","title":{"rendered":"Privatized military housing is plagued with \u2018shoddy workmanship, raw sewage, rotten wood and chronic leaks’"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Problems with construction and maintenance in some newer privatized military family housing call into question the success of the Defense Department\u2019s major initiative to improve housing for military families, according to a new report.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

A new investigation by Reuters<\/a> published Friday centers mostly on some families at Tinker Air Force Base, Oklahoma, but builds on the news organization\u2019s previous investigations into Army<\/a> and Marine Corps<\/a> privatized family housing<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWhat the Pentagon touts as privatization\u2019s signature achievement \u2014 the building of new housing for military families \u2014 is marred by faulty construction and poor upkeep,\u201d the report found. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

There has been \u201climited federal oversight and little accountability\u201d for the companies that have taken over the responsibility of operating the housing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The report cited \u201cshoddy workmanship, raw sewage, rotten wood and chronic leaks\u201d leading to mold infestation and other issues \u201cputting residents’ health at risk.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Reuters conducted interviews, reviewed court records and documents from the Defense Department\u2019s Inspector General<\/a>, and found \u201cserious construction problems with new or renovated housing on at least 17 bases.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Problems include water damage, improper electrical wiring, missing smoke alarms and construction errors that have required residents to leave their new homes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

At Tinker, landlord Balfour Beatty had to replace water lines in each house and fix the systemic plumbing failures just six years after the houses were built. The company and the Air Force also inspected the rooms that housed heating, ventilation and air-conditioning equipment, and found that half of the homes had mold or water damage, Reuters reported.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Some of the families at Tinker Air Force Base said family members had suffered respiratory ailments in their homes, and they complained to landlord Balfour Beatty about the mold problems. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Balfour Beatty said it tried to address the problems. In one case, a family said the company moved them into temporary housing and then later paid for a hotel. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The company continued to collect their rent, paid by allotment, and when the family moved off base, charged them a month\u2019s rent for terminating the lease early, as well as billing them $1,171 for \u201cunspecified damages,\u201d Reuters said.<\/p>\n\n\n