“Our houses are not our safe place.” That’s the message U.S. military families are hoping Congress will hear, as they sound the alarm on unsafe military housing they say is making their families sick.
“Right now, our families are being poisoned,” Jackie Talarico, of Key West, Florida, the wife of a U.S. Navy cryptologic technician, told ABC News.
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Talarico and other military families are reporting shocking conditions in the rental housing provided by the United States Armed Forces. Her family is one of hundreds that are now suing a private company that manages homes for the military.
A ‘nightmare’ situation
Another military wife, Antoinette Reeder, from San Diego, California, who spoke to ABC News, has test results that she says show the mold found in her home was also found in her blood. “I’ve had my doctor ask me several times, ‘When are you moving?’” she told ABC.
According to ABC, a recent poll presented to Congress said that “more than half of the military families who responded had negative experiences, saying that they were living with mold, lead and other issues.”
It’s a situation Talarico calls “a nightmare.”
“We were told there was no mold in our house. We were told there was no lead. We were told there was no asbestos — and they lied.”
Her family and nearly 200 other current and former tenants in the Florida Keys are suing Balfour Beatty Communities, alleging the company "systematically failed to properly repair and remediate significant problems in the homes, including water damage, mold, structural defects, HVAC, plumbing issues, electrical problems and the presence of lead paint and asbestos."
In a statement obtained by ABC News, Balfour Beatty said, “We are aware of the complaint and intend to defend ourselves vigorously.”
Balfour Beatty is one of about 14 private companies that manage military housing, under a deal that began in 1996, when the U.S. Congress approved the Military Housing Privatization Initiative (MHPI).
The MHPI gave the companies ownership of more than 200,000 military homes across the country. In exchange for agreeing to take on the military housing stock, which was at the time in need of an estimated $20 billion in repairs, the companies were given 50-year contracts. The deals also had the provision that the military could not overrule the housing companies on how properties are managed and maintained.
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What to do if your housing is unsafe
Although this situation involves military families, landlord disputes involving unsafe housing can be common for many Americans.
Here’s what you can do if your landlord is failing to maintain standards and you think your housing has become unsafe.
Residential leases in most jurisdictions include an implied warranty of habitability. According to the Legal Information Institute, habitability is “defined as property in substantial compliance with the local housing code,” meaning your landlord is required to keep the property in compliance.
When dealing with an issue with your landlord, remember to always keep extensive documentation. Keep detailed notes about the issues that include dates and times, save copies of any notifications you send or receive in writing, and keep track of any phone calls between you and your landlord. Make sure that if you are documenting phone calls, you check the laws in your state for recording phone conversations.
Notifying the landlord in writing is often required, and you can contact your city or county code enforcement office to learn more about what standards landlords must meet. You can also seek out help from local tenants’ rights organizations or legal aid clinics. The National Low Income Housing Coalition has a database of state and local tenant protections.
The military families taking their landlord to court are a reminder of the collective power tenants can have. If your neighbors are also facing similar issues, consider banding together as a tenants’ association or tenants’ union — your collective power may sway your landlord to meet your demands for safe housing.
“Our service members give so much every day, and put so much on the line for our country,” Talarico said.
“One thing they should not have to sacrifice is their children’s and their families’ life, health and safety — when they do that every day for the rest of America.”
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This article provides information only and should not be construed as advice. It is provided without warranty of any kind.
