Posted by If you’re a member of the military and have a question about housing issues, you should read up on the topic of Military Housing Lawsuits. These lawsuits are brought against private companies that provide housing to the military. These lawsuits have occurred at Fort Hood, Goodfellow, Keesler, MacDill, Tinker Air Force Base, and Fort Meed. MHPI does not have adequate oversight to prevent tenant abuse.
Mold
A new class-action lawsuit filed in Tampa, Florida, alleges that mold in privately run military housing led to health problems, including the growth of mushrooms in the carpet and floor. The lawsuit, filed on behalf of five service members and their families, accuses the air force’s housing owners and managers of ignoring complaints, providing insufficient remediation work, and failing to provide families with mold test results. According to the lawsuit, moldy conditions on the base went untreated for so long that mushroom-like growths began to grow on the floor and carpet.
Residents began complaining about the mold problems in 2015, but environmental testing in 2017 found elevated levels of aspergillus and some Stachybotrys. Aspergillus is a common mold type that can cause long-term infections and damage to other organs. Stachybotrys, meanwhile, is black mold, which causes serious health problems. If you have concerns about mold in your home, it is important to consult an environmental attorney. Your attorney can assess the evidence and preliminary test results in your case and determine the likelihood of recovering damages.
Lead paint
Military housing lawyers are increasingly focusing on lead paint as a source of ill health. As the Army moves to improve housing safety, they have begun requiring abatement of deteriorating lead paint. While it is expensive and time-consuming, the Army is also putting military children in danger. Lead levels above the federal threshold have been found in 31 children at Fort Benning. The CDC’s threshold for elevated lead levels in the blood is 5 micrograms per deciliter, and any child with elevated levels warrants public health response.
But the DoD has a long history of ignoring such hazards. The Environmental Protection Agency and Department of Housing and Urban Development require housing providers to give residents pamphlets detailing lead paint hazards. Despite the hazards, only two bases notified residents of asbestos-containing paint. And only one conducted long-term radon mitigation. But the government’s inspection of housing has revealed numerous other issues. The government has been working to address the causes of lead poisoning, but it’s not always clear why this happens.
Asbestos
Many people who were exposed to asbestos while living in a military housing community claim that their living conditions were not safe. Because many military families live in government-owned housing, there are many risks of asbestos exposure. An investigation conducted by the Department of Defense’s Office of Inspector General revealed systemic problems in managing asbestos, lead-based paint, and radon. In some cases, residents were unaware that they were exposed to asbestos or other dangerous materials.
Many of the U.S. Army housing facilities still contain asbestos, despite efforts to remove the substance. In fact, in the year 2020, families were complaining of mold and asbestos in their homes. In addition to military housing, Fort Benning, located in Georgia, was the home to nearly 100,000 soldiers during World War II. Numerous buildings at the base were known to contain asbestos. For this reason, military housing lawsuits are a growing part of the legal system.
Insects
A recent Reuters investigation exposed widespread problems with military housing. Congress held hearings to question military housing management companies. Now, a lawsuit is attempting to put these issues to rest. Hunt Military Communities knows of the lawsuit and believes the allegations against it are without merit. The company intends to vigorously defend itself from the baseless allegations. It is not the first time the military has come under fire for poor conditions of privately-owned housing.
A military family named the Roellchens in a recent lawsuit alleges unhealthy living conditions in their Fort Bliss rental homes. The lawsuit alleges that sewer backups, mold, and insect infestations led to illness and discomfort for tenants. In addition to infestations, the plaintiffs also cite several plumbing problems. In one instance, the Roellchen family suffered from debilitating migraines as a result of the infestation of cockroaches. Another case alleges that a gas leak and insect infestations contributed to their health problems and caused them to seek medical attention.
Water leaks
Water leaks are an issue that plagues many military families. One lawsuit cites the problem of black mold and water-filled electrical sockets, as well as other issues that affect military families living on base. A mother with newborn claims that her home’s property manager failed to repair the problem, which resulted in the family moving out of their home early last year. Even though the Navy is working to fix the problem, water leaks continue to plague military families.
The Red Hill fuel facility in Hawaii has been estimated to leak at least 178,000 gallons of fuel since its inception. The leaks pose an obvious threat to the aquifer that supplies communities leased by the defendants. Moreover, the landlords knew of the persistent fuel leaks but failed to inform tenants of the risk. The landlords allegedly knew about the problems but failed to notify residents, and the Navy hid the issue through its relationships with the military and the sale of the water from the Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickman Water system.
Rodents
In recent legal action, the Roellchen family filed a class-action lawsuit against the private military housing provider, Balfour Beatty Communities. The lawsuit alleges squalid living conditions, plumbing problems, pest infestations, mold, and other health concerns. The family has been unable to move out of their townhome since the infestation began last spring. They are seeking damages and other remedies. To learn more about the case, read the following.
In April, tenants of the Hilltop Village Apartments in San Antonio, Texas, have been complaining about rodents for more than a year. They are seeking court intervention to compel the landlord to relocate them. I-TEAM has reported the rodent problem to the city and federal officials. The city and the federal government have investigated the problem but to no avail. In late April, a lawsuit was filed seeking damages over the infestation.