After years of complaints from military families about unsafe living conditions, a new bill introduced in the U.S. Senate directly targets mold and moisture issues and accountability gaps in military family housing.
The Military Occupancy Living Defense Act—better known as the MOLD Act—would require the Department of Defense to establish clear, enforceable health and safety standards for both government-owned and privately owned military housing. The legislation follows mounting evidence that many families have been exposed to ongoing mold and water intrusion issues, often with little oversight and slow or incomplete remediation.
If enacted, the bill would push the Department of Defense to move quickly. Interim guidance on humidity levels, ventilation, moisture control, and water intrusion would be issued within 180 days, with permanent standards finalized within a year. The goal is consistency—housing conditions are measured the same way across locations and providers.
One of the most significant changes outlined in the MOLD Act is the requirement for independent, third-party inspections. These inspections would take place when tenants move in or out, when residents raise safety or habitability concerns, and after any mold remediation or major repair work. Inspection results would be documented, shared directly with tenants, and preserved in a long-term housing record, creating a clearer paper trail and fewer opportunities for problems to be ignored.
To ensure qualified professionals are involved, the legislation requires that mold assessors, remediators, and maintenance personnel hold current certifications from nationally recognized, third-party, nonprofit organizations. Groups positioned to help meet these requirements include the Institute of Inspection, Cleaning, and Restoration Certification (IICRC), the National Organization of Remediators and Microbial Inspectors (NORMI), and the American Council for Accredited Certification (ACAC).
“Since joining the IICRC, I have spent significant time in Washington, D.C., working on the issue of mold in military housing,” said Robbie Bradshaw, the director of government relations with the IICRC. “In the absence of clear standards and requirements for qualified professionals, mold is often remediated improperly or not addressed at all. The MOLD Act establishes a strong framework for how mold should be handled in military housing.”
As he pointed out, the IICRC is encouraged to see Senator Richard Blumenthal of Connecticut, and other congressional leaders, recognizing the value of industry certifications and the ANSI/IICRC S520 Standard as part of the solution to these challenges. “We hope Congress will move swiftly to pass this legislation and safeguard the health of our service members and their families.”
The bill also draws a firm line around responsibility. “Under the proposed rules, privatized military housing providers would be required to cover the full cost of inspections, mold remediation, tenant relocation, property loss, and refunded housing allowances when units are deemed unfit to live in. The use of non-disclosure agreements to prevent tenants from speaking up about unsafe conditions would no longer be allowed,” Bradshaw added.
Any mold remediation performed under the Act would need to follow the ANSI/IICRC S520 Standard for Professional Mold Remediation, aligning military housing practices with widely accepted industry standards for proper assessment and cleanup.
Beyond inspections and repairs, the MOLD Act adds new layers of oversight. Military housing offices would be required to submit regular reports detailing complaints, response times, remediation outcomes, and contractor performance. The Department of Defense would also publish annual, publicly available summaries so patterns and problem areas are easier to identify over time.
Congressional findings included in the bill point out that unsafe housing conditions don’t just affect families at home—they can also affect readiness. When service members are forced to spend time managing health concerns, relocations, or unresolved maintenance issues, it pulls focus away from mission-critical responsibilities. Today, roughly 700,000 service members and their families live in privatized military housing across the country.
If passed, the MOLD Act would mark a meaningful shift in how environmental health issues are handled in military housing, placing greater emphasis on prevention, transparency, and accountability. It may also influence how inspection, remediation, and certification standards are viewed across the broader housing and facility management landscape.
A broader impact? As Bradshaw pointed out, this could be the beginning of a broader policy conversation around mold. “I am not sure if it will ever be regulated like lead, asbestos, or even radon, but policymakers consistently rely on proven examples and methods when they try to address emerging issues,” he said.
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