Enclosure_2_ASD_Policy_Update_for_TSS_05Feb25.pdf

ASSISTANT SECRETARY OF DEFENSE

3400 DEFENSE PENTAGON

WASHINGTON, DC 20301-3400

ENERGY, INSTALLATIONS,

AND ENVIRONMENT

MEMORANDUM FOR ASSISTANT SECRETARY OF THE ARMY (INSTALLATIONS,

ENERGY AND ENVIRONMENT)

ASSISTANT SECRETARY OF THE NAVY (ENERGY,

INSTALLATIONS AND ENVIRONMENT)

ASSISTANT SECRETARY OF THE AIR FORCE

(INSTALLATIONS, ENVIRONMENT AND ENERGY)

SUBJECT: Policy Update for Tenant Satisfaction Survey for DoD Housing

Section 3058 of the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) for Fiscal Year (FY) 2020 (Public Law 116-92) requires that "each installation of the Department of Defense use the same satisfaction survey for tenants of military housing, including privatized military housing." Additionally, section 2891a(d)(5) of title 10, United States Code, as added by section 3014 of the FY 2020 NDAA, prohibits landlords of privatized military housing from conducting "any promotional events to encourage tenants to fill out maintenance cards or satisfaction surveys of any kind, without the approval of the chief of the housing management office."

As the Chief Housing Officer (CHO), I am directing the Military Departments to annually conduct a tenant satisfaction survey for all privatized and all government owned/controlled family and unaccompanied housing in the second quarter of each fiscal year. This policy updates and supersedes the previous Tenant Satisfaction Policy issued in November 2020. The survey shall use the same questions across all housing types and comply with the following:

Responsibility for the solicitation and funding of the survey contract. Beginning with the FY 2025 tenant satisfaction survey cycle, each Military Department shall either use an existing contract vehicle or independently solicit a contractor to conduct their annual tenant satisfaction survey.

Each Military Department’s contractor must conduct their annual survey using form attached hereto as Attachment 1.

Additionally, all survey contracts must specify that the relevant Military Department receives the final electronic data and survey reports for privatized housing prior to release to the landlords, to assure data accuracy consistent with Government Accountability Office recommendations regarding design information systems and related control activities as cited in GAO Report GAO 20-281 ("DOD Needs to Strengthen Oversight and Clarify Its Role in the Management of Privatized Housing", published March 26, 2020). Each Military Department shall separately budget for their own annual survey cost.

Office of Management and Budget (OMB) Control Number. A valid OMB Control Number documenting OMB approval of the survey must be included on the electronic survey and in all public communications about the tenant satisfaction survey regardless of housing type, including but not limited to press releases, promotional marketing materials, and all survey communications to tenants from the Military Services or the third-party survey firm(s). Ideally, the OMB Control Number should be included in similar communications to tenants from privatized housing project landlords. Each Military Department administering the annual survey is responsible for notifying via email (org email) the Office of the Deputy Assistant Secretary (Housing), at least 4 weeks in advance of the survey launch, to ensure sufficient time to comply with OMB Control Number requirements for each year's survey.

Survey administration. All annual tenant satisfaction surveys shall be administered as an electronic survey with embedded privacy and security mechanisms and can be delivered via email and/or text to a cell phone number. Surveys may include a unique code for each tenant to be surveyed.

Definition of tenants of military housing. Respondents for this survey must be tenants (i.e., residents) of a DoD privatized, government-owned or government-controlled housing unit overseen by the DoD’s Chief Housing Officer, as defined in 10 U.S. Code § 2851a: “[f]amily housing and military unaccompanied housing under the jurisdiction of the Department of Defense or acquired or constructed under [Military Housing Privatization Initiative (MHPI) authority.]”

Communication, promotion, and other participation incentives. The Military Departments are encouraged to work with their respective Public Affairs offices to encourage a high survey response rate through a robust communication plan, including coordinating town halls, unaccompanied housing stakeholder meetings, and other advertising efforts with the privatized housing landlords. All such communication must state that survey participation is voluntary and that all responses shall remain confidential.

In addition, landlordsponsored tenant events or prize giveaways that are designed to increase survey participation are permitted, in accordance with guidelines outlined in Attachment 2. DoD may sponsor tenant events but may not use prize giveaways or other incentives to increase survey participation. However, in all cases, allowing tenants to complete the survey at sponsored events or distributing promotional items in exchange for completing the survey is prohibited. Survey promotions should encourage participation without influencing, or being perceived to influence, the tenant to provide a more favorable response.

Tenant satisfaction survey questions. Attachment 1 contains the updated survey template that must be used beginning with the FY 2025 tenant satisfaction survey.

Questions were revised to allow residents of all military housing types to use the survey and to combine or eliminate redundant questions. My office shall work with the Military Department to jointly review the survey questions as needed, to ensure relevance to oversight and management of such housing programs. The same survey questions must be used by all the Military Departments for all housing tenant satisfaction surveys administered in a given fiscal year.

Communication of survey results. The Military Departments shall make every effort to publicly release survey results within 60 days following receipt of final reports.

For all surveys, the Military Departments shall review and approve the survey reports and final data and provide the survey reports and final data in MS Excel format to the Office of the Assistant Secretary of Defense (Housing) prior to releasing survey results to either the privatized housing project companies or the public.

Timing of tenant satisfaction survey. Beginning with the FY 2025 tenant satisfaction survey, the Military Departments shall make every effort to distribute their annual tenant satisfaction survey in March of each year.

Corrective Action Plans. The Military Departments shall establish a corrective action plan for any installation with an Overall Satisfaction, Property Satisfaction, or Service Satisfaction score 69.5% or lower. Corrective Action Plans shall focus on addressing identified issues, and increasing resident satisfaction through education, training, staffing and applicable quality assurance improvements. The Military Departments shall also require the Military Housing Offices and the privatized housing project owners to establish targeted goals/milestones and plans for reporting progress.

This policy will be incorporated into the next update to DoD Manual 4165.63, DoD Housing Management, as authorized by DoD Instruction 4165.63. Questions regarding this policy should be directed to Ms. Angela M. Major, at angela.m.major.civ@mail.mil or 703- 693-5924.

Sincerely, Robert E. Thompson Acting

Attachments:

As stated

Attachment 1

Tenant Satisfaction Survey

DoD Privatized, Government-Owned and Government-Leased Housing

OMB CONTROL NUMBER: 0704-0553

OMB EXPIRATION DATE: 05/31/2025

AGENCY DISCLOSURE NOTICE

The public reporting burden for this collection of information, 0704-0553, is estimated to average 7 minutes per response, including the time for reviewing instructions, searching existing data sources, gathering and maintaining the data needed, and completing and reviewing the collection of information. Send comments regarding the burden estimate or burden reduction suggestions to the Department of Defense, Washington Headquarters Services, at whs.mc-alex.esd.mbx.dd-dod-information-collections@mail.mil. Respondents should be aware that notwithstanding any other provision of law, no person shall be subject to any penalty for failing to comply with a collection of information if it does not display a currently valid OMB control number.

PRIVACY ADVISORY: Your email contact information has been used only for the distribution of this survey. Responding to this survey is voluntary and all responses will remain anonymous. There is no penalty to you if you choose not to respond. However, maximum participation is encouraged so the data will be complete and representative.

INSTRUCTIONS: Responding to this survey is voluntary, you can skip questions you prefer not to answer. All responses to this survey are confidential and data will only be reported in the aggregate.

Key Terms

Government-owned / controlled housing: Family and unaccompanied housing on- or off-base that is owned or leased by a military service. Service members do not receive their housing allowance.

Military Housing Office (MHO): Government housing office that oversees the day-to-day needs of housing tenants.

Privatized housing: Rental housing on or off-base that is run by a military housing privatization initiative company. Tenant pays rent; for Service members, rent is generally equal to the housing allowance and paid via allotment to the company.

Privatized property management office: Military housing privatization initiative company office that oversees the day-to-day needs of housing tenants.

1. With regard to the appearance and condition of your housing, how satisfied are you with:

Very Satisfied Somewhat Satisfied

Neither Satisfied nor Dissatisfied

Somewhat Dissatisfied

Very Dissatisfied Don't Know, No Opinion or Not

Applicable

a) Overall condition and visual appeal of your housing

b) Condition of the common areas (parking, sidewalks, playgrounds, etc.)

2. With regard to safety and security of your home/unit, how satisfied are you with:

Neither Satisfied nor Dissatisfied

Somewhat Dissatisfied Very Dissatisfied

Don't Know, No Opinion or Not

Applicable

a) Safety of your home/unit

b) Security features of your home/unit

Thank you for participating. In order for an answer to be included you must click the option you agree with for each question you are answering. Please be sure to click "Submit" at the end of the survey. Also, please note that for purposes of this survey, privatized housing includes MHPI, RCI, PPV, or HP housing, and home/unit refers to the place you live regardless of type or style.

3. With regard to the privatized property management office / MHO team, how satisfied are you with: (If you live in government-owned / controlled housing, please rate the MHO; If you live in privatized housing, please rate the privatized property management office).

Neither Satisfied nor Dissatisfied

Somewhat Dissatisfied

Very Dissatisfied Don't Know, No Opinion or Not

Applicable

a) Ease of contacting when questions or problems arise

b) The ability to resolve problems that have been reported

c) Follow-up after a problem is reported to be sure that it has been resolved

d) Courtesy and respect with which you are treated

e) Frequency of contact and clarity of communications

f) Overall level and quality of service you are receiving in housing

4. With regard to the maintenance service team, how satisfied are you with:

Satisfied Neither Satisfied nor Dissatisfied

Somewhat Dissatisfied

Very Dissatisfied Don't Know, No Opinion or Not

a) Courtesy of maintenance personnel

b) General work order or maintenance request completion time

c) Quality of maintenance work

d) Follow-up on maintenance requests to ensure satisfaction

5. How satisfied are you with the following characteristics of your home/unit:

Satisfied

Neither Satisfied nor Dissatisfied

Somewhat Dissatisfied

Very Dissatisfied Don't Know, No Opinion or Not

Applicable

a) Exterior features (landscaping, pest control, etc.)

b) Interior features (flooring, fixtures, cabinetry, etc.)

c) Overall condition when you moved in (if moved in during the last 12 months)

d) Overall current condition

6. If you moved in or signed a lease renewal in the last 12 months, how satisfied are you with: (If you live in government-owned / controlled housing, please rate the MHO; If you live in privatized housing, please rate the privatized property management office).

Neither Satisfied nor Dissatisfied

Somewhat Dissatisfied

Very Dissatisfied Don't Know, No Opinion or Not

a) The assignment and sign-in / signing process

b) The lease renewal process

7. Please indicate how much you agree or disagree with each of the following statements:

Agree Somewhat Agree Neither Agree nor Disagree

Somewhat Disagree

Disagree Don't Know, No Opinion or Not

Applicable

a) The military housing office (MHO) team adheres to time commitments

b) The privatized property management office (if applicable) adheres to time commitments

c) If extended at this installation, I would seek / want to live in this housing community again

d) I would recommend this housing community to others assigned to this installation

e) Housing is a significant factor in my decision to stay in or leave military service

f) I am aware of the formal dispute resolution process and how to access it, if needed

8. Considering all factors, please tell us how satisfied you are with the following:

Neither Satisfied nor Dissatisfied

Somewhat Dissatisfied

Very Dissatisfied Don't Know, No Opinion or Not

a) Your current home/unit

b) The health and safety of your home

c) Your housing office as your advocate (If you live in government-owned / controlled housing, please rate the MHO; if you live in privatized housing, please rate the privatized property management office)

d) Engagement of the leadership within your Chain of Command on housing issues

Comments:

If you have any questions or concerns with regard to your housing unit, please contact your local government Military Housing Office (MHO). If you want to submit a maintenance repair request, please contact your privatized property management office or the MHO directly.

If you would like to provide feedback/complaint with regard to your housing unit, please go to www.DHFS.mil

Click here to review the answers entered for this survey, After viewing/printing the responses, please close the window to return to this page so you can Submit the survey.

Attachment 2

Tenant Satisfaction Survey – Promotion Guidelines for Privatized Housing Companies

Approval requirements. Landlord-sponsored tenant events or prize giveaways, including monetary awards, that are designed to spur increased survey participation may be permitted with prior written approval from the Assistant Secretary of the relevant Military Department, with delegation no lower than to a Deputy Assistant Secretary.

Prize giveaway guidelines. Prize giveaways (non-monetary awards) at promotional events designed to spur increased survey participation may not exceed $25 in value, and all tenants must be eligible to win. Prize giveaways may not be associated with filling out the survey.

Monetary award guidelines. It is solely the privatized housing project’s decision whether or not to contribute project funds toward monetary awards. Privatized housing projects are not obligated to provide monetary awards, but if they choose to do so, these guidelines must be followed:

a) One-time grand prize per project. A one-time grand prize of up to $750 may be randomly awarded at each privatized housing project, with the random selection process to be determined at the discretion of the Military Department. If awarded, the timing of a one-time grand prize is at the discretion of the privatized housing project company and the Military Department.

b) Maximum prize winners per week. Weekly prizes of $50 or less per household may be randomly awarded, with the random selection process to be determined at the discretion of the Military Department. Privatized housing projects may choose to award up to the maximum number of prizes and award frequency listed in the table below.

c) Maximum total per-household value of other prizes. With the exception of any one-time grand prize, the privatized housing project may randomly award a maximum total prize value of up to $250 per household, per week. The third-party contractor survey administrator will assist in the random selection of prize winners and each Military Department will inform the privatized housing project of the selected household winners on a weekly basis.

Number of Installation

Housing Units

End of week one

End of week two

End of week three

End of week four

End of week five

After close

Maximum Total Prizes Per

Winners Per Installation

Less than 50 0 0 0 0 1 0 1 50-100 0 1 0 0 1 0 2 100-250 0 1 1 1 1 1 5 251-500 2 2 1 1 2 2 10 501-750 3 3 2 2 2 3 15 751-1000 3 3 3 3 3 5 20 1001-1500 5 5 5 5 5 5 30 1501-2000 8 7 5 5 7 8 40 2001-2500 10 8 7 7 8 10 50 2501-3000 10 10 10 10 10 10 60 3001-3500 12 12 11 11 12 12 70 3501-4000 15 13 12 12 13 15 80 4001-4500 15 15 15 15 15 15 90 4501-5000 20 15 15 15 15 20 100 5001-5500 18 18 18 18 18 20 110 5501-6000 20 20 20 20 20 20 120 6000 or more 25 20 20 20 20 25 130

MAXIMUM PRIZE WINNER PER WEEK

Tenant Satisfaction Survey