Posted on Dec 18, 2013

Do you think that military housing improved after it was privatized?

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For those of you who have been in long enough to remember what housing was like when the Army ran it vs the private company that does now, which worked better in your opinion? Is the private company taking care of issues in an effective and efficient manner with the tenant's interest at the fore? Did the Army DPW do a better job in these areas? Why?

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Housing

Posted >1 y ago

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SSG Robert Burns

Posted >1 y ago

I never lived on post under DPW but I can tell you I hate Balfour Beaty. To me it's the biggest scam in the military. Way over priced town homes. You get a 1200-1500 sq ft town home for the price of what you can get 2500-3500 sq ft single home on the economy. No services they provide you make up that cost difference.

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SSG Robert Burns

>1 y

I saw them put up an entire subdivision in 6 months. You can buy a quad plex for around 200k. They got 4 SSG's staying in there taking about 1500 each from them. 6K a month for a 200K home. That's mansion prices.

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Lt Col (Join to see)

>1 y

Maybe I've found my post-military job. Now I just need to make some contacts so I can get that sweet government monopoly to provide housing...

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SFC Casey O'Mally

Posted 5 y ago

The privatized housing shore is purdy. But that is about its only benefit. Every privatized housing office at every installation that I dealt with had the basic attitude that they were only there to collect my Soldiers' BAH. Had one of these literally tell my barracks Soldiers that black mild in the barracks ventilation was the Soldiers' problem to fix. Then they held a barracks town hall to show the Soldier's how to go buy a spray bottle and bleach, then spray the black mold whenever they saw it creeping out of the air vents. And the CSM was totally OK with that answer, too. (Yet another case where I was dangerously close to court martial.)

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CPT (Join to see)

Posted >1 y ago

I have lived on post under both the old system (Ft. Leonard Wood) and under the privatized system (Ft. Belvoir). I find it difficult to decide which is better overall because each has their merits.

Overall, the quality of the available housing has improved with privatization (new construction is running about four times what it did before) and the response time for problems is generally quicker (the old DPW work order system was PAINFUL).

Value for the dollar is the issue. As a lower rank enlisted soldier, on post housing is probably your best deal but I am a CPT on the east coast (Aberdeen Proving Ground). My BAH is $2,100 and for that amount, Corvias offered me a 1,699 sq. ft., 3 BR, 1 Bath duplex with a 2 car garage. I decided to go offpost and got a 2,100 sq. ft., 3 BR, 3.5 Bath town home, with a three room master suite (5 piece master bath), and a fireplace for $1,895. With utilities, I'm paying about what I would have paid Corvias and got a hell of a lot more house in a very nice neighborhood.

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SFC (Join to see)

>1 y

Sounds like a better deal to me Sir.

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CPT (Join to see)

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Incidentally, I would have had a 60 day wait for the on-post house; I moved in off-post in about two hours.

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SFC (Join to see)

>1 y

There's always a waiting list from what I understand. Seems crazy to me but, what do I know?

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Do you think that military housing improved after it was privatized?

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