2025 Military Housing Conditions Executive Summary

Military Housing Conditions Survey Highlights Military Housing Shortfalls

Military housing has long been a quality of life, retention, and recruitment issue for the Department of Defense. In 2019, courageous military families brought national attention to widespread concerns – what many now refer to as the “Military Housing Crisis.” Their voices spotlighted unsafe living conditions, health hazards, and systemic failures across privatized housing communities.

Five years later, a pressing question remains: Has military housing improved since the reforms mandated by the 2020 National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA)?

To help answer that, the Military Housing Coalition surveyed over 1,000 military housing residents. The survey evaluated the effectiveness of oversight measures such as the Tenant Bill of Rights, the Dispute Resolution Process, the Defense Housing Feedback System, and the Government Housing Office – and gathered firsthand accounts of current living conditions.

Key Findings Include:

• 81.8% of respondents were military spouses, yet some housing partners only recognize the spouse as an occupant – not a tenant – sometimes limiting their ability to dispute issues.
• 46.7% of respondents said the Government Housing Office is not providing adequate oversight.
• 26.5% reported they are not familiar with the Government
  Housing Office at all.
• 55.9% of residents said they are not familiar with their rights under the Tenant Bill of Rights or the Dispute Resolution process.
• 67.5% reported they are not familiar with the Department of Defense Housing Feedback System (DHFS).
• 62.9% reported the condition of their housing has negatively affected their or their family’s quality of life.

These findings suggest that despite legislative reforms, many military families continue to face serious housing challenges.