"The private corporations that control almost all family housing on American military bases have every incentive to skimp on maintenance, critics say."

"Sandy Gerber was excited when she and her husband, Scott Gerber, an Army colonel, moved into a stately house near the parade field at Fort Meade, Md. — their first on-base home since they were newlyweds in the mid-1990s.

“When you come in the Army, you think, ‘Oh wow, I hope someday I can live there,’” Mrs. Gerber said. “But for us, the problems started literally the day we walked in the door.”

A broken water line in the kitchen had flooded the house. Pulling up damaged linoleum flooring revealed rotting wood underneath. On rainy days, water streamed into every room.  “And the smell of mold was overwhelming,” Mrs. Gerber said. "

John Ismay reports for the New York Times December 13, 2019. [2]