Across U.S. military installations, families continue to report mold, leaking roofs, pests, failing electrical systems, and maintenance delays stretching for months. These issues remain despite years of congressional hearings, investigations, and reform efforts. Current audits and reporting show that oversight is seriously understaffed, privatized contractors hold most of the leverage, and aging housing infrastructure overwhelms even well-intentioned reforms.
Inspections That Fail to Catch the Problems
In September 2025, Department of Defense Office of Inspector General (DoD OIG) released an audit covering privatized housing units managed by Hunt Military Communities at seven military installations. The audit found that Military Housing Offices at all seven sites “did not properly complete Change-of-Occupancy Maintenance inspections” or comply with work order oversight requirements. According to oversight observers, none of 14 such inspections they observed were completed by base officials.
In some cases, housing offices are severely understaffed. For example, at one installation, staff counted only two individuals responsible for supervising 925 homes. The DoD OIG concluded this lack of oversight “may be allowing families to be placed into homes that have life, health, and safety hazards.”
Widespread Resident Dissatisfaction and Reported Hazards
Multiple surveys and investigations confirm that poor housing conditions are more than isolated incidents. A study conducted by Military Family Advisory Network (MFAN) covered more than 15,000 families living on over 100 bases. Of respondents, 55% rated their base housing negatively, while only 16% reported positive experiences. Families reported thousands of individual problems, including 3,342 claims of mold, 1,564 cases of pest infestations, and over 6,600 health-related complaints.
Investigative reporting by Reuters described families living with black mold behind walls, collapsing ceilings, broken air-conditioning during high heat, and children suffering respiratory symptoms. In some cases, private housing operators reported high tenant satisfaction in internal surveys even while residents described dangerous living conditions.
Decades-Old Housing Stock Meets Privatization Strategy
The wartime and post-war era produced much of the current family housing stock on U.S. military installations. Over time, these units have exceeded their intended lifespans, and repairs have struggled to keep pace. Oversight bodies have long noted a backlog of needed improvements needing significant investment. According to the U.S. Government Accountability Office (GAO), about 99% of family housing units in the U.S. are now operated under long-term privatization agreements meant to help address this deferred maintenance.
Built into the system is the Military Housing Privatization Initiative (MHPI), established to transfer maintenance and renovation responsibilities from the government to private developers and operators. This model was designed to reduce appropriated funding burdens on the services while accelerating housing improvement.
Why Privatization Has Fallen Short
While MHPI was intended to solve long-standing issues, oversight and contractual realities have undercut effectiveness. The 2025 DoD OIG audit found that the services failed to “effectively oversee” Hunt’s maintenance across multiple sites. Moreover, in some cases, incentive fee award plans meant to reward contractor performance were poorly managed. For example, at one installation the DoD overpaid by more than $11,000, and if uncorrected, could continue overpaying by millions over the life of the housing agreement.
The GAO has documented systemic oversight challenges over many years. As of a 2022 report, GAO had issued 30 recommendations aimed at improving privatized family housing oversight; some have been implemented, but many challenges remain. One major constraint: the government cannot unilaterally change many housing project terms once contracts are in place. That limits flexibility in enforcing swift repairs or restructuring agreements when companies underperform.
Government Response: New Task Force, But Structural Barriers Remain
In October 2025, Pete Hegseth announced a new Pentagon “barracks task force,” directed to deliver a strategy within 30 days to improve housing conditions across the military. He called existing conditions “simply unacceptable.” The task force’s purpose is to ensure safe, dignified housing and to empower unit commanders to act on quality-of-life issues. \
Yet, despite the new initiative, deep structural barriers persist. Long-term MHPI contracts still place primary operational control in the hands of private companies. The services’ housing offices remain under-resourced, and many units require full rehabilitation rather than just incremental fixes. The DoD OIG has recommended uniform definitions for life, health, and safety hazards and standardized work order categories to improve oversight.
The Human Cost: Families, Readiness, and Retention
For service members and families, these are not just administrative frustrations; they involve health risks, emotional strain, and reduced confidence in the system. Families describe repeatedly calling for maintenance only to receive temporary fixes or no effective resolution. Some service members reportedly delay extending their military careers or begin looking to move off-base because of housing issues. While direct retention statistics tied to housing are harder to quantify, advocacy groups and member surveys say poor housing negatively impacts morale and quality of life.
What Needs to Change
To fulfill its responsibilities, the DoD must bolster on-the-ground oversight capacity, including ensuring adequate staff at housing offices. Contracts with private housing providers should include enforceable performance standards, uniform hazard definitions, clear repair timelines, and mechanisms for course correction when units or communities fall short. Pending task force efforts should prioritize modernization of housing where patchwork repairs won’t suffice.
Better transparency is also essential. Regular, independent inspections followed by resident acknowledgments of unit condition can help hold both private operators and the government accountable. The GAO’s decades-long recommendations and the OIG’s 2025 audit provide a roadmap.
Military families have waited far too long for safe, reliable homes. Fixing base housing isn’t just a maintenance issue. It’s about protecting readiness, morale, and dignity for service members and their loved ones. Without meaningful reform and follow-through, the system will continue to stall where families live.
