Policies and Responsibilities for Quarters Management

1.1 What is the purpose of this chapter?

1.2 What is the scope of Part 371?

1.3 What are quarters?

1.4 Why does the Service supply quarters?

1.5 What are the authorities for Part 371?

1.7 What are the maintenance requirements for quarters?

1.8 What are the construction requirements for quarters?

(1) Overseeing the strategic direction of the quarters program; 

(2) Approving transfers of funds among Regions; and

(3) Representing the Service quarters program to the Department, Congress, OMB, the Congressional Budget Office, Government Accountability Office, and others.

(1) Serving as the Service’s Senior Asset Manager;

(2) Evaluating all aspects of the Service’s quarters management program to help ensure consistency with Departmental policies, Federal regulations, and executive orders, and providing any requested reports;

(3) Assigning a National Quarters Officer (NQO); and

(4) Surnaming Justifications for New or Replacement Housing, Form DI 1871.

(1) Managing the financial aspects of the quarters program, including audits, assets under construction, and reporting; and

(2) Creating Work Breakdown Structures (WBS) in the Financial and Business Management System (FBMS), upon request, for newly constructed or acquired quarters.

(1) Developing and implementing quarters policy and supplemental procedures and interpreting them for employees; 

(2) Providing guidance and technical and administrative support to Regional offices and field stations;

(3) Ensuring the internet Quarters Management Information System (iQMIS) database is accurate in accordance with Departmental and Service policy to provide reports, data, and communications about quarters; 

(4) Distributing the Regional survey reports and adjustments to the Consumer Price Index to the Regional Quarters Officers (RQO) for verification in iQMIS and field station notification; 

(5) Serving as the Service’s representative on the National Housing Council;

(6) Reviewing Justifications for New or Replacement Housing, Form DI 1871, for compliance with Service policy before the Chief, IMD surnames; and

(7) Serving as the technical authority and liaison for the reconsideration/appeal process.  

(1) Approving Justifications for New or Replacement Housing, Form DI 1871; and

(2) Authorizing transfers of funds between Regional programs.

(1) Ensuring that Project Leaders and supervisors are accountable for implementing the quarters management program in accordance with all related laws and policies that affect quarters;

(2) Initiating requests for transfers of funds between programs and between Regions;

(3) Authorizing fund transfers between stations within their programs; and

(4) Reviewing and approving  Certificates of Required Occupancy, Form DI 1872.

(1) Reviewing collections and expenditures from the Regional quarters accounts to ensure they are authorized, 

(2) Screening monthly quarters expenditure files to ensure that budget object class codes are appropriate, and

(3) Investigating any questionable obligations, if necessary.

(1) Ensuring that annual real property inspections include the quarters inventory, and

(2) Assigning RQOs.

(1) Documenting an employee's status as a required occupant on the SF 50, Notification of Personnel Action;

(2) Including a position's occupancy requirement in the position description and the vacancy announcement for each position having such a requirement; and

(3) Ensuring that unions with exclusive recognition are contacted and collective bargaining impacts and implementation obligations are satisfied in accordance with 5 U.S.C. 71.

(1) Serving as the initial contact for Project Leaders/supervisors on quarters issues, providing guidance, and addressing tenant issues;

(2) Working with the NQO and Project Leaders/supervisors to ensure the iQMIS database is accurate in accordance with Departmental and Service policy to provide reports, data, and communications about quarters;

(3) Reviewing Justifications for New or Replacement Housing (Form DI 1871) to ensure compliance with policy, and, if the request is for a leased property, ensuring the proper procedures are followed (see 370 FW 1); 

(4) Entering new quarters into iQMIS once they are marked “iQMIS relevant” in FBMS; 

(5) Reviewing requests for reconsideration of rental rates and ensuring that adequate comparable rental data are available; and

(6) Deleting records in iQMIS of housing units removed from the quarters inventory (i.e., demolished or changed use) in coordination with the program Regional Facility Management Coordinator (FMC) and the Regional Asset Management Coordinator (AMC).

(1) Submitting requests in mySupport for asset shell setup for new quarters records to JAO Financial Operations, and releasing the record in the Service Asset and Maintenance Management System (SAMMS) and FBMS; and

(2) Creating work orders in SAMMS and FBMS for station use to document maintenance and repairs of quarters.

(1) Verifying and validating all quarters are recorded in SAMMS with the appropriate asset code, and

(2) Creating Deferred Maintenance (DM) work orders in SAMMS based on approved Justifications for New or Replacement Housing (Form DI 1871).

(1) Working with local managers to ensure environmental hazards such as lead-based paint, radon, and asbestos in quarters are known and mitigated as appropriate; and 

(2) Assisting with coordination of surveys for environmental hazards, including lead-based paint, radon, and asbestos when requested, and providing technical assistance to Project Leaders/supervisors regarding required visual inspections.

(1) Keeping current and accurate financial records for quarters,

(2) Receiving and reviewing WBS and asset number requests from AMCs and ensuring accuracy before sending the requests to JAO Financial Operations for processing,

(3) Receiving and reviewing field stations’ purchase requests related to real property to ensure that costs are accurately tracked in FBMS, and

(4) Completing the acquisition cost information for each new asset record in FBMS and any capitalized improvement costs for existing assets and sending them to JAO Financial Operations.

(1) Overseeing the operation and maintenance of quarters and recording associated costs;

(2) Initiating Justifications for New or Replacement Housing (Form DI 1871);

(3) Ensuring the completion of annual real property inspections and that appropriately trained personnel are inspecting any lead-based paint or asbestos materials. Reporting all major deficiencies that the station cannot correct to the Regional FMC or Regional Environmental Compliance Coordinator for hazardous material issues;

(4) Ensuring that tenants with disabilities have access to the same services and opportunities provided to all other tenants;

(5) Ensuring required documents, notices, and forms are provided to the tenant as required by the Department’s Housing Management Handbook;

(6) Annually updating and signing documentation for rent deductions because of lack of amenities, loss of privacy, excess or inadequate size, excess heating and cooling costs, and poor condition;

(7) Initiating Certificates of Required Occupancy (Form DI 1872);

(8) Implementing and adhering to Service policy to meet the criteria for volunteer housing as described in 150 FW 3;

(9)  Acting as the liaison to attempt to resolve conflicts with tenants and others; and

(10) Requesting authorization to dispose of quarters by sending the appropriate documentation and forms to the Regional IMD and documenting the disposal when it’s complete.

(1) Adhering to the terms and conditions in the housing assignment agreement (lease) and abiding by Departmental and Service policies; 

(2) Verifying and confirming inventory and rental calculations and following the established processes to inform the RQO of discrepancies; 

(3) Notifying facility management staff of any critical maintenance needs to avoid further damage or costly repairs; 

(4) Providing information and certifying annually for the RQO any deductions, such as those for unused space and loss of privacy; 

(5) Notifying the Project Leader/supervisor if the condition of the quarters changes regarding health hazards (e.g., encapsulated lead-based paint peels, material known to contain asbestos is exposed); and

(6) For tenants who have firearms:

     (a) Using firearm safety locking devices, 

     (b) Properly operating firearms, and 

     (c) Abiding by State and local laws for legally possessing a firearm.