JOINT BASE SAN ANTONIO-LACKLAND, Texas – The Department of the Air Force (DAF) is preparing to launch a new third-party inspection initiative to gather information on the current state of the service’s privatized and government owned housing inventory. The inspections will touch all DAF privatized family housing, approximately 55,000 units, with the exception of homes scheduled for demolition and the approximately 15,000 government owned housing.
Providing safe and affordable housing to our servicemembers and their families is a top priority for the DAF,” said Yvonne Brabham, Air Force Housing Division Technical Director. “We are always looking for new ways to optimize the base housing program to ensure Airmen, Guardians and their families are provided what they need to thrive at work and at home. These new inspections will give us the information we need to chart a better way forward as we strive to accomplish that goal.”
The inspections, which will begin mid-June with a pilot effort at Goodfellow Air Force Base in Texas, come as the DAF responds to guidance contained in the Fiscal Year 2020 and 2021 National Defense Authorization Acts. This initiative is just one of several NDAA mandates designed to improve the government owned and privatized military housing programs.
During the next 28 months, certified home inspectors independent from the housing project owner and government will visit every home in the housing inventory to assess unit interiors, building systems, common areas, building exteriors, equipment drainage, and landscaping. The inspections are intended to discover any health and life safety deficiencies that, if identified, will be addressed. The inspectors will also prepare and submit detailed reports to the project owners and government officials to assist both in moving forward with making improvements where most needed.
“The intent behind the third-party inspections is to conduct a consistent and effective assessment of the entire inventory,” said Mark Wall, Air Force Civil Engineer Center Housing Program Manager.
Installation Military Housing Offices will serve as the primary point of contact for tenants, inspectors, and project owner personnel throughout the inspection process. Tenants will be notified prior to having their home inspected, in accordance with the notification requirements stated in their leases.
Resident participation with the third-party inspection initiative is vital to the success of the effort, according to Wall.
“The residents have a place in this process and it is important that they are heard,” he said. “We highly encourage Airmen, Guardians and their families to support the inspection and assessment of their homes to ensure their needs for quality housing are met well into the future.”
Residents are also encouraged to maintain contact with their local Military Housing Office team throughout the inspection process. The third-party inspections are expected to be completed by Sept. 30, 2024.
“The upcoming inspections are just one item in a long list of recent efforts DAF has made to increase the quality of our privatized and government owned housing,” said Brabham. “This focused effort to improve housing options for our Airmen, Guardians and their families is an important action we are taking to strengthen our number one warfighting capability: our people.”