U.S. Army Fort Belvoir

HOUSING NEWS & RESOURCES

Housing Updates

REMINDER:

Fort Belvoir's Garrison Mayor Program remains the only Army authorized group to represent the interests of the residents on Fort Belvoir. The Mayors meet with the Garrison Commander and the housing partners once a month to discuss installation events, programs, issues, and concerns. In addition to the regular meetings, the Mayors are key in helping to resolve resident concerns, quickly and efficiently, by fielding complaints and directing residents to authorities who can help.

To contact your Mayor, join your village's Mayor Facebook Group by visiting the Fort Belvoir Facebook Page and searching in the "Groups" section here.

Residents should also be familiar with and refer to the Levels of Escalation to guide them in resolving any housing concerns.

Military Housing Inspection Program

Belvoir Housing selected for pilot project

All privatized military family housing on Fort Belvoir will be part of an Army pilot project for third-party inspections this year. This inspection of all privatized family housing is a new requirement for all military services, which collectively includes about 200,000 privatized houses.

The proposed inspections, outlined in a December letter to Clark Realty, the Fort Belvoir RCI property owners, indicates that RER Solutions, as the independent third-party, will conduct the inspections over the next seven to nine months.

Learn more about Military Housing Inspections Program in the Belvoir Eagle here:

Military Housing Inspection Program FAQs

Army Senior Leadership has contracted with RER Solutions, Inc. (“RER”) to perform comprehensive independent, third-party home inspections on all privatized family housing on Fort Belvoir. The National Defense Authorization Act of 2020 includes a new requirement for the Military Services to inspect all privatized housing. Fort Belvoir will be a pilot site to help the Army develop and prepare an inspection program for the remaining Residential Communities Initiative (RCI) housing as well as to provide feedback to Congress if changes to current legislation are required.

A. Yes, the inspections are mandated by the 2020 NDAA and are law.

A. Certification of a safe and functioning home environment and potential identification of any life, health or safety issues.

A. No residents do not have to leave their homes during the inspection. Inspectors will attempt to be as non-invasive and non-disruptive as possible during the inspection.

A. Each inspection is scheduled to take about 2 hours, 1 hour for the interior inspection and 1 hour for the exterior inspection.

A. All inspectors are certified and/or licensed inspectors, with degrees and training ranging from construction managers, construction quality control inspectors, architecture and engineering.

A. The scope of work to be performed by RER Solutions states that inspections are visual surveys of the property, HVAC, plumbing, electrical, and elements that are easily visible and readily accessible.

RER’s COVID-19 inspection policy remains committed to prioritizing the health and well-being of the Fort Belvoir community as well as its inspectors. RER has implemented a number of protocols to ensure all residents, and valued team members, remain safe during these inspections. Inspectors will be wearing masks and gloves, and shoe covers while in the house. If any inspector must remove gloves during the inspection, any surfaces or items touched by bare hands will be cleaned. We recommend that if possible, you stay in another room while the inspection is being conducted.

We understand your concerns during the pandemic so your inspection can be reschedule at a later date. Rescheduling notifications will be sent out to residents.

A. Yes. These inspections are mandated by Congress as part of the 2020 National Defense Authorization Act, however, we understand your concerns during the pandemic. We can reschedule your inspection for a later date. Rescheduling notifications will be sent out to residents.

A. Physical: Functional movement of devices and objects to ensure integrity of motion and purpose. For example, fully opened and fully closed gate in the backyard; checking to see if it is locked and secured. For windows, to see if the windows could stay open by themselves without falling, could lock and meet egress requirements.

Visual: Any observation which denotes a deficiency or creates reasonable suspicion to inspect further. For example, cracks in the window frames or disjointed shingles on the roof; any signs of condensation for mold on any vent, pipe, or air or water storing unit.

A. We understand it is already an inconvenience having someone in your home inspecting, however, the inspectors have a routine and are trained to be minimally invasive.

A. Each deficiency is given a priority rating of one through four. The priority categories are: Good, fair, poor, and urgent. Each deficiency will be photographed and recorded for each address and given a priority rating. The inspectors will then contact the property management company to address.

A. Yes. However, the inspectors have a routine to follow. If the item is in their current room, you may show, otherwise you will have to wait until they reach that area.

A. No. If there is something in the way of an item they are supposed to inspect, they will notate “no access.” For example, if a couch is in front of a living room window, they will notate no access to living room window.

A. Pictures will be taken of the inspected items. The inspectors will avoid taking pictures of personal items as much as possible.

A. The Inspectors will wear masks, gloves and foot coverings while inside homes to minimize the spread of any germs. The will replace their gloves for each house. The booties, if worn outside, will be changed and thrown away.

Mayor Program

Fort Belvoir Mayors Program

In its ongoing effort to improve ways to address resident concerns and provide service and support for Service members and their families who choose to live on post, Belvoir initiated the Mayor Program.

The program relies on a volunteer staff of 15 Service members, who serve in a key leadership role, called mayors, who represent each of the 15 distinct neighborhoods or villages of Fort Belvoir.

To contact your Mayor, join your village's Mayor Facebook Group by visiting the Fort Belvoir Facebook Page and searching in the "Groups" section here or send them an email at their email address listed on this page.

Residents should also be familiar with and refer to the Levels of Escalation to guide them in resolving any housing concerns.

If you would like to contact the Fort Belvoir Ombudsman, call 540-273-7450.

Quarterly Community Town Hall

FORT BELVOIR COMMUNITY TOWN HALL

The Army is committed to improving housing to ensure residents are afforded the quality of life commensurate to their service to our Nation. As part of USAG Fort Belvoir's on going efforts to identify steps to resolve housing issues and concerns, Military District of Washington and Fort Belvoir Army leadership have implented Town Hall Meetings held quarterly with the RCI housing partner.

13 August 19 Housing Town Hall

12 November 19 Housing Town Hall

11 February 20 Community Town Hall

23 November 20 Community Town Hall

23 November 20 Community Town Hall Q&As

Housing FAQs

HOUSING FAQs

A. The Fort Belvoir Mayor Program is the Garrison Commander’s program, which was initiated as part of the Army's ongoing efforts to improve military housing. The mission of the program is to enhance the Quality of Life for Fort Belvoir residents, increase unit chain of command involvement and visibility, improve communication between the Garrison leadership and Residents, and develop a sense of community within each of the 15 villages of Fort Belvoir.

A. The name and email for each of the 15 Mayors is located on the 'Housing Portal' under the "Mayor Program" Tab.

A. No. Mayors and Deputy Mayors are volunteer positions that are registered through the ACS Volunteer Corp program.

A. No, the Mayor Program or the Ombudsman does not replace the Levels of Escalation. Residents still have the option to use the chain of command outlined in the Levels of Escalation to resolve their housing concerns or they can use their Mayor and Ombudsman to advocate on their behalf.

A. The Mayors meet with the Garrison Command Team once a month to discuss housing concerns, issues, recommendations, installation events and activities. Additionally, the Mayors and Deputy Mayors meet with the Ombudsman on a regular basis.

A. Mayors will use their Facebook page that represents their respective community to disseminate information and address questions.

A. Mayors and Deputy Mayors are a tremendous asset to both residents and our housing partners. Mayors can assist residents by serving as a housing liaison which allows the resident to focus on other priorities. They can also diffuse situations and offer alternative courses of action to resolve their concerns. Due to their positions, they are often able to take concerns directly to the appropriate person to resolve their issues. They can also provide guidance on quality of life issues outside of housing, such as, reenlisting, spouse employment, schools, etc.

A. The Fort Belvoir Ombudsman can be reached at 540-273-7450.

Resources

RESOURCES:

Garrison Announcement on PFAS Soil Sampling

SEPT 25 UPDATE:

In July 2019, Secretary Mark Esper stood up a task force to provide strategic leadership and direction to ensure a coordinated, aggressive, and holistic approach on DoD-wide installations to proactively address Polyfluoroalkyl Substances (PFAS) issues. PFAS are found in everyday consumer items – from nonstick cookware to water-resistant clothing. They are also found in certain firefighting foam known as aqueous film-forming foam (AFFF). DoD installations no longer use AFFF for land-based testing and training.

As part of DoD's preventative approach to addressing PFAS, there will be soil and water sampling at various locations across Fort Belvoir starting this Sunday, 27 September and running through Wednesday, 30 September. The sampling is designed to determine if there are any traces of PFAS. This sampling will come with some noise due to the use of drilling equipment, but should be complete in a reasonable amount of time. Of all the locations, there is only one in the housing area (Lewis Village). It is currently planned to occur on Sunday, 27 September between approximately 1500-1800 hours.

This sampling is part of a Department of Defense-wide installations program focus on ensuring the health and safety of our Service members, their families, and our workforce.

Learn more here.

ActiveBuilding Work Order System

Registration is still underway for the ActiveBuilding Resident Portal account. Since its inception April 1, we have registered approximately 45% of our residents. Be sure to check your e-mail, including your spam folder, for a system-generated e-mail from noreply@activebuilding.com. If you did not receive the email or your link has expired, contact your Community Management Team to request a new e-mail for you. Visit: The Villages at Belvoir.