Privatized Base Housing Opens Up More Options
Location, Location, Location
05 February 2015
Most military members will transfer a number of times throughout their careers, each transfer coming with its own share of stress and uncertainty. One of the biggest sources for stress is trying to decide where you are going to live upon transferring. Will there be available housing on base? Do you even want to live on base, or is off-base housing a better option? There are many questions, and believe or not, there are an equal number of answers.
There are now more options than ever for Sailors and their families to find suitable living accommodations. To make the best of their tour, service members need to become familiar with all of those options.
First let's look at on-base housing; there are essentially three options: privatized housing, government-owned housing or single/unaccompanied housing.
The original purpose of on-base housing was to provide financial relief to service members unable to find appropriate housing with the BAH, said Aimee Stafford, program management specialist, Fort Meade, Md., housing division. On-base housing served to fill that gap.
However, on-base housing has come a long way, and is now a viable option regardless, said Stafford. In fact, many bases have begun privatizing housing. In recent years bases, posts and installations have started partnering with private companies to develop and maintain housing within the gates. Base housing communities are being remodeled and renovated to modernize and make homes more efficient and safe for service members. For this type of housing, military members continue to receive BAH. The privatized housing company acts as a rental property manager and service members sign a lease and pay rent.
While privatization has brought housing a long way, it may not be a fit for every family, or every location. Government-owned housing may be the only option you have, especially if taking a position overseas. The housing is operated and maintained by the DoD. While you will not have to worry about rent or utilities with this type of housing, you will also not receive BAH.
Service members who are unmarried or who are separated from their families may live in single/unaccompanied housing, often referred to as barracks or bachelor quarters. The housing generally is a single or shared room with a private or shared bath and common area. Living in these types of quarters can be appealing to some Sailors because everything is generally taken care of. You will not receive BAH if you find yourself living in this type of dwelling.
Other benefits to living on base include the sense of security a gated community provides, easy access to most facilities and a sense of camaraderie among the residents, said Stafford. In the case of deployments, most likely there is a support system nearby; a neighbor or another military spouse that gets it, has been there before, and can provide valuable resources.
Now let's talk about living off base. Many prefer the privacy and variety that living off base can provide.
For those of you looking to live out in town, you have to weigh your options. Do you have a big family or is it just you and your dog? For example: as of Jan. 1, 2015 E-5 BAH at Fort Meade, Md., is $1,959 (single) and $2,163 (with dependents). An E-5 with dependents may not have an easy time finding a single family home in their price range in this area as easily as single Sailor looking for a one or two bedroom condo or apartment. Another thing to consider is the cost of utilities and services. These costs will be your responsibility and need to be considered when making your final decision. And of course your amount of BAH will depend on your base location.
Another source of stress is trying to put together living arrangements from another state, or even country. And that's where
www.homes.mil comes in. This website was constructed to help service members look for housing either at their current location, or any location in the world. The site not only helps those getting ready to PCS, but can also be a great source for putting your current home up for rent. In addition to the listings, the site has contact information for all military housing offices.
At the end of the day, it really comes down to what works best for the service member and their family.
"I think the biggest thing is calling the housing office ...knowing what's truly available ... because it's hard and each area has something specific that you probably should know before you move there," said Stafford.
Regardless of what decision you make there are helpful sites out there with copious information to help you make a successful military move.
More housing resources:
Military OneSource
Defense Travel Management Office
Defense Finance and Accounting Service site for travel entitlements.
Sailors can also find important information and contact numbers in regards to their next move by locating their housing office via the
Military Installations website.