Key Issues > Federal Real Property
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Federal Real Property

The federal government continues to face a number of challenges to effectively managing its federal real property, including long-standing problems with excess and underutilized property and overreliance on leasing.

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The total federal real property portfolio is vast and diverse, totaling over 900,000 buildings and structures with a combined area of over 3 billion square feet. The Departments of Defense and Veterans Affairs, the U.S. Postal Service, and the General Services Administration hold most federally owned and leased space. Federal real property management has been designated as a high-risk area in part due to agencies’ long-standing problems with

  • excess and underutilized property, and
  • overreliance on leasing.

The federal government has made some progress in managing property since it was first added to the high-risk series by developing a centralized real property database and establishing real property disposal goals. However, attempts to correct these problems have not yet addressed their root causes. Agencies face legal requirements for screening and environmental cleanup that present a challenge to disposing of properties. Additionally, competing stakeholder interests can complicate federal real property decisions. The Office of Management and Budget should develop an action plan to address key problems with disposing of excess and underutilized property and a strategy to reduce agencies’ reliance on leasing where ownership would result in long-term savings.

Looking for our recommendations? Click on any report to find each associated recommendation and its current implementation status.

Federal Buildings Fund

Improved Transparency and Long-term Plan Needed to Clarify Capital Funding Priorities
GAO-12-646, Jul 12, 2012

Federal Real Property

National Strategy and Better Data Needed to Improve Management of Excess and Underutilized Property
GAO-12-645, Jun 20, 2012

Federal Real Property

Overreliance on Leasing Contributed to High-Risk Designation
GAO-11-879T, Aug 4, 2011

Federal Real Property

Proposed Civilian Board Could Address Disposal of Unneeded Facilities
GAO-11-704T, Jun 9, 2011

Federal Real Property

Progress Made on Planning and Data, but Unneeded Owned and Leased Facilities Remain
GAO-11-520T, Apr 6, 2011

More Reports

Federal Real Property

Excess and Underutilized Property Is an Ongoing Challenge
GAO-13-573T, Apr 25, 2013

Federal Real Property

High-Risk Designation Remains due to Persistent Management Challenges
GAO-13-422T, Feb 27, 2013

Federal Real Property

Improved Cost Reporting Would Help Decision Makers Weigh the Benefits of Enhanced Use Leasing
GAO-13-14, Dec 19, 2012

Federal Real Property

Improved Data Needed to Strategically Manage Historic Buildings, Address Multiple Challenges
GAO-13-35, Dec 11, 2012

Federal Real Property

Improved Data and a National Strategy Needed to Better Manage Excess and Underutilized Property
GAO-12-958T, Aug 6, 2012

Federal Real Property

Strategic Partnerships and Local Coordination Could Help Agencies Better Utilize Space
GAO-12-779, Jul 25, 2012

Federal Real Property

The Government Faces Challenges to Disposing of Unneeded Buildings
GAO-11-370T, Feb 10, 2011

Federal Real Property

An Update on High Risk Issues
GAO-09-801T, Jul 15, 2009

Videos

High Risk: Managing Federal Real Property
  • portrait of David Wise
    • David Wise
    • Director, Physical Infrastructure
    • wised@gao.gov
    • (202) 512-5731