MOLD Act

Summary#

This bill requires the Department of Defense to set and publish health and safety standards for military family housing, including limits on indoor humidity, ventilation, dampness, and water intrusion. The Secretary must issue interim guidance within 180 days and final standards within one year. The bill requires independent, third-party mold and environmental inspections at tenant turnover, after complaints, and after remediation or repairs. Inspection results must be recorded, certified as pass or fail, kept in unit history records, and shared with tenants, commanders, and congressional committees. Units that fail inspection must be remediated or tenants relocated within 30 days if tenants choose relocation. The bill creates a 24/7 tenant complaint hotline and website, requires written responses to complaints within five business days, and mandates that inspection and testing results be given to tenants not later than 10 days after sample collection.

The bill requires that privatized housing contracts include enforceable environmental health and safety clauses and that housing providers pay for third-party inspections, maintenance, mold remediation, relocation expenses, property loss, and refunds of basic housing allowance when families must vacate uninhabitable units. It requires certified credentials for maintenance and remediation personnel, adoption of the IICRC S520 mold remediation standard, quarterly and annual reporting to a designated Chief Housing Officer, retention of data for at least five years, and public annual reporting of mold complaints, inspection results, remediation timelines and costs, and number of relocations. The bill also expresses that the Department of Defense, with HHS, should evaluate health impacts of mold exposure and consider medical responses.

What it means for you#

• Military families living in Department-managed or privatized family housing will have access to independent inspection reports and housing history records for their unit.
• Tenants can report humidity, water damage, and other hazards any time via a 24/7 hotline and website and should receive a written response within five business days.
• If a unit fails a certified inspection, tenants may be relocated or the unit remediated within 30 days if they choose relocation.
• Providers of privatized military housing are required to pay for inspections, repairs, mold cleanup, relocation costs, and refunding basic allowance for housing when families must vacate.
• Housing and remediation workers must hold recognized third-party certifications, and remediation must follow an established professional standard (IICRC S520).

Expenses#

• The bill requires privatized housing providers to bear full financial responsibility for: third-party inspections; maintenance; mold remediation; all relocation expenses for families forced to vacate uninhabitable units; property loss; and refunding basic allowance for housing paid by affected families.
• The bill authorizes the Department to audit, review, and potentially suspend eligibility for housing-related bonuses for landlords or entities that fail to comply.
• No publicly available information on the total cost to the Department of Defense, overall federal budgetary impact, or estimated fiscal numbers is included in the bill text.

Proponents' View#

Proponents say the bill will establish uniform housing standards and stronger oversight to protect military families from hazardous conditions such as mold and water damage. The bill text notes that many families in privatized military housing have faced hazardous environmental conditions, paid out-of-pocket costs, and that unsafe housing can undermine military readiness. Supporters cite the need for independent inspections, contractor accountability, transparency of housing records, and access to remediation and relocation without financial burden on families.

Opponents' View#

No publicly available information.