MOODY AIR FORCE BASE, Ga. -- The 23rd Civil Engineer Squadron Military Housing Office hosted a town hall meeting for base residents at Moody Air Force Base, Georgia, Aug. 3, 2021.
The meeting was an opportunity for residents to learn about the four remaining Tenant Bill of Rights: universal leases, the dispute resolution process, rent segregation, and the ability to receive seven years of maintenance history records.
“It’s important that residents know their rights because they have gotten so much new information over the past year and a half,” said Naomi Hendricks, 23rd CES military housing office manager. “Instead of sending e-mails or physical mail, I felt like we needed to tell them face-to-face because these remaining rights are the most important.”
Universal Lease
“The universal lease will be standard across the board,” said Hendricks. “If you (move) from Moody to Davis-Monthan, your rights and your responsibilities as a tenant in privatized housing are the same. The only differences between the leases are the addendums which are state-specific.”
After higher headquarters reviews the universal lease, new residents or current residents who decide to renew their lease will see the changes.
Dispute Resolution Process
The Dispute Resolution Process allows eligible tenants of privatized military housing to obtain prompt and fair resolution of housing disputes, the most common being maintenance repairs.
A tenant must first attempt to resolve the dispute through the informal dispute resolution process by notifying the property management company. Then the tenant should follow up if they are unsatisfied with the initial resolution. Lastly, they should contact their military housing office to elevate the issue to be resolved with the private owner.
Hendricks said if the informal dispute is still not resolved, the tenant may submit a formal dispute to the military housing office which will be sent to the 23rd Wing commander.
Rent Segregation
“If you choose to file a formal dispute, that is the only time you can request rent segregation,” said Hendricks. “What rent segregation means is that you are asking to not be charged rent for no more than 60 days. That doesn’t mean you can stop paying rent, the rent is (withheld) until the disputes are resolved.”
The wing commander will assign an inspector to review the dispute. The inspector will then give their research to the commander to decide if the rent segregation will happen, if the resident can be displaced out of their home, or if they need to move to another home. The wing commander’s decision is final.
Maintenance History
“New tenants that are offered a home with a private owner are given a seven-year maintenance history with (their) potential home,” said Hendricks. “(They) get to view all of the work orders on a home for the last seven years and it gives (them) the opportunity to decline or accept the home based on the maintenance history.”
The Tenant Bill of Rights was introduced by the Department of Defense last year to ensure tenants receive quality housing and fair treatment from the Military Housing Privatization Initiative project owners that maintain privatized housing.
The remaining Tenant Bill of Rights that Congress mandated for military families living in privatized housing plan to be fully implemented by the housing companies by Sept. 30, 2021. The MHO will conduct future town halls to educate Moody housing residents on further changes to the leasing process or the Tenant Bill of Rights.
For more information, call:
Military Housing Office - 229-257-4417
Resident Advocate - 229-257-3537
Moody Family Housing - 229-333-3039
Mission Creek Homes - 229-242-7805