Our Core Goals
Building strong communities is essential for a stronger, more resilient Armed Forces. The core goal of the Military Housing Association (MHA) is to provide high-quality housing, community amenities, and responsive property management services for service members and their families living in privatized military housing communities. The MHA was formed to provide a forum of industry leaders in the Military Housing Privatization Initiative (MHPI) to work together and with military families, the Department of Defense (DoD) and Congress to continuously improve the quality and sustainability of housing available to service members and their families. The MHA represents leading members of the military housing public-private partnership industry, including Balfour Beatty Communities, Corvias, Hunt Military Communities, Liberty Military Housing, Mayroad, and Patrician Management. All companies that participate in the MHPI have been invited to join MHA.
Solutions for Military Families
MHA members listened and actively responded to the concerns of military families and policymakers. MHA members instituted a range of improved services and new industry standards to provide meaningful solutions for military families. The following are some examples of actions already taken by MHA members as resident feedback continues to drive operational adjustments in local communities.
- Creating new industry-leading services and standards critical to implementing the Tenant Bill of Rights, including 1) standardizing the leasing process by offering documentation that is consistent across all military housing communities and providers, and 2) providing unprecedented transparency to maintenance history of a home as a service member decides where to live after transferring to a new duty station.
- Investing millions of dollars to renovate hundreds of legacy homes, build new homes, and provide upgraded community amenities like playgrounds and common areas.
- Introducing new mobile apps and resident portals that streamline the process for handling service requests by allowing residents to submit, track, and manage maintenance requests from their mobile devices.
- Implementing new protocols for service orders, including new notifications to residents when service orders are opened and completed, additional surveying and telephone follow-up to ensure that families are satisfied.
- Promoting new channels for listening to resident concerns, including town halls, open forums and other opportunities for in-person engagement.
- Retaining third-party experts to recommend enhancements to existing maintenance policies and procedures, hiring additional specialists, providing additional training for maintenance staff and technicians, and continuing to engage licensed and accredited third-party contractors.
Where We Stand
The MHA strongly supports policies that protect tenant rights, increase the purchasing power of military families, and maintain the financial sustainability of the MHPI program. MHA members continue to advocate for the following policies with our military partners and Congress.
Utilizing the Tenant Bill of Rights
MHA members continue to work with each Service Branch to ensure residents understand and utilize each right available to them under the Tenant Bill of Rights. It is vital that military housing providers, installation housing offices, and federal officials educate residents about their rights and the processes put in place to administer those rights.
Covering 100% of Housing Costs for Service Members
Current law forces many military families to pay unaffordable out-of-pocket housing costs, with some families incurring monthly expenses between $200-$1,000. Since 2019, the Basic Allowance for Housing (BAH) has been designed to cover, on average, 95% of housing costs for active-duty service members not living in MHPI housing. Increasing the BAH to cover 100% of housing costs will strengthen the financial security of military families.
Accurate BAH Calculation
MHA members support a more transparent process to develop BAH rates that more accurately reflect market rates. In 2021, the Government Accountability Office (GAO) found that the DoD may have often set BAH rates inaccurately. Last year, Congress directed the DoD to compile a report evaluating the Department’s processes for calculating BAH and consider methods to improve accuracy. The MHA supports this initiative. More accurate BAH rates will increase the financial stability of each military community investment.