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Housing & Living

Overview

Finding the right place to live is part of the adventure of military life. Your housing options will be influenced by a variety of things such as rank, location and family size, whether you decide to live on or off an installation, and whether you want to rent or buy a home. In addition, you may have specialized needs to factor into your housing decision.

Before you decide where to build your nest, it’s important to know about all of your resources so you can weigh the information and make the best choice for you and your family.

Choose among military housing options

Moving as part of your military life means that you will likely have several housing options to choose from once you reach your new location. Here are some basic housing facts to consider:

Government-owned military installation housing is owned and maintained by the Defense Department. Your Basic Allowance for Housing (BAH) is used for rent and most utilities. With this government-provided housing option, you will not receive a BAH.

Single or unaccompanied military installation housing is often referred to as the “barracks,” “dorms” or “bachelor quarters.” These dormitories are not always private. Some service members share a room or a bathroom. The upside: This housing option comes rent-free. Learn more about living in the barracks.

Privatized military housing allows military members and their families to live in a home built and maintained by a private-sector company. You can live in this housing and use your BAH to pay for your rent. You will be expected to pay for your own utilities. Educate yourself on renters insurance to help you understand various policy options and coverage to meet your needs.

You can rent a home off the military installation. Review the pros and cons of renting in the infographic Is Renting Right for You? Learn more in this short article Renting vs. Buying After a Relocation. Before signing a rental contract, review it carefully and ensure the contract has a military clause in it that allows you to break the lease in case you are reassigned or deployed. If you aren’t sure if your lease has this clause, contact your housing office for assistance. If you have questions about a rental agreement and breaking a lease, contact your installation’s legal services/JAG office. You can use the Armed Forces Legal Assistance Legal Services Locator to find the closest legal assistance office.

You can buy a home off-installation. If you are considering buying your first home, contact an installation personal financial counselor, usually located in your Military and Family Support Center for information on financing. If you are considering buying you will also need to consider if you are comfortable with the possibility of having to sell or rent it relatively quickly if you are reassigned or deployed. Review the pros and cons of buying a house in this infographic Is Buying Right for You? You can also learn more in this Office of Financial Readiness course on homebuying.

If your family has special needs or extenuating circumstances such as a spouse enrolled in a degree program or children in elementary or secondary school, you may be eligible for housing flexibility options before and during a PCS move. Learn more about eligibility criteria and authorized housing flexibility options during PCS moves.

Decide whether to rent or buy

For military families, the decision to rent or buy a house may surface over and over. Both options have benefits. Renting offers lower maintenance fees and up-front costs, greater relocation flexibility and a decreased risk of loss if housing values decrease. Buying can provide tax breaks, lower monthly costs (depending on interest rates), the option to renovate or customize, and a chance to build some financial equity.

ARTICLES & EXTERNAL RESOURCES FOR DECIDING WHETHER TO RENT OR BUY

Consider renters insurance

Renters insurance is property insurance specifically designed for people who do not own their homes. If disaster strikes in the form of fire, vandalism, theft or any number of other ways, renters insurance means you won’t be stuck paying to replace everything that was lost or damaged.

Whether you live on or off base, in a house, apartment, duplex or townhome, it’s important to understand home and renters insurance. Minus the deductible, renters insurance typically:

  • Covers the cost of repairing or replacing your personal belongings, or provides you with the cash value of each item lost or destroyed (Reimbursement varies with different policies. Some policies offer reimbursement for the cost of the item minus depreciation. Full replacement value coverage is also available.)
  • Provides continuous coverage as you move your military household goods
  • Covers costs including hotel, meals and laundry if you need to leave your rental during repairs
  • Offers protection against lawsuits if someone is accidentally injured in your rental
  • Covers your belongings even if they’re damaged or stolen outside your rental
  • Covers food spoilage if a power failure results in food loss
  • Provides limited coverage for credit card fraud or check forgery
  • Typically does NOT cover loss or damage from hurricanes, floods, earthquakes, pests and certain dog breeds

Though renters insurance is not required by law, your landlord may require you to have a policy. And if you live in government or installation housing, you may have renters insurance included, or you may only be covered for things damaged or stolen from your quarters.

Depending on what you plan to insure, coverage is easy to find and may be cheaper than you think. For example, property valued at $30,000 plus $100,000 of personal liability coverage will likely run between $15 and $30 a month, with a deductible less than $500.

Costs are very dependent on your geographic location, credit history, previous claims and deductible – so be sure to shop around and update your coverage annually, or as needed with each move or life event such as marriage, divorce or starting a family.

You can buy renters insurance directly from an insurance company or an insurance agent. Check with your state’s department of insurance for names of insurers in your area. If you have a car or other types of insurance, ask your insurer about renters coverage — you might get a discount for bundling two or more types of policies.

Make the most of living on an installation

Living on an installation can be a great opportunity to become part of a service-oriented community and save money. Military OneSource offers tips to make the most of living on an installation, such as taking advantage of the programs and activities available on base, ideas for getting to know the people in your neighborhood and connecting with your Military and Family Support Center.

Image of Housing 2

Military housing — Learn about living on an installation for the first time.

Explore your base — Get answers about your new installation and community on MilitaryINSTALLATIONS.

Military community support — Lean on your military community for support

About MWR— Find out about MWR programs, services and activities on your installation.

Make your home accessible

An accessible home is one with modifications that lets an individual with disabilities do what they want and need to do, as independently as possible. Service members or veterans with disabilities may be eligible for assistance under one or more Department of Veterans Affairs programs.

Military OneSource highlights some government and community resources that can provide financial and technical assistance for home modifications to allow for more comfort at home.

ARTICLE FOR MAKING YOUR HOME ACCESSIBLE

 

Use a financial calculator

Take the guesswork out of home financing by using a few financial calculators available through Military OneSource and the Office of Financial Readiness. These tools allow you to figure out the numbers for a variety of situations, such as comparing the cost of refinancing your home against the interest you pay on your current loan, computing what your principal payment should be and determining the estimated payments and interest for an adjustable rate loan.

Use these housing calculators from the Defense Department Office of Financial Readiness to:

  • Compare rental to purchase costs
  • Compare a 15 vs. 30-year mortgage
  • Estimate total closing costs
  • Understand your estimated monthly payments
  • Explore purchasing mortgage points

The following Military OneSource financial calculators can also help answer more home finance questions. (Note: you must log in to or create a Military OneSource account to access these calculators.)

Most lenders decide whether or not to offer you a loan based on your total monthly gross income and your monthly expenses. This calculator can help you estimate how much you might borrow for a home.

Trying to figure out your budget? This calculator determines the most expensive house you can buy based on the highest payment you can afford.

Use this calculator to figure out what your principal payment might be, plus what you might pay in interest, for a fixed-rate loan.

Use this calculator to determine the estimated payments and interest for an adjustable rate loan — where the rate increases by the maximum amount allowed at each interval, until it reaches the rate cap.

This calculator estimates the cost of a mortgage with a balloon payment using monthly interest, compounding interest and monthly payments

Use this calculator to find out how much money you can save if you add a few dollars to your monthly mortgage payment. Over time, making a larger payment can reduce the principal on your mortgage, the number of payments you make and the amount of interest you pay over the life of the loan.

If you already own a home, use this calculator to weigh the cost of refinancing against the interest you pay on your current loan.

 

With this calculator, you can enter up to 10 different loans or credit cards to determine the pros and cons of consolidating your debts.

Financial counseling support

Still have questions or need help finding information? Learn more about free personal financial counseling options available through Military OneSource and installation Military and Family Support Centers.

Access classes, seminars, one-on-one counseling and additional information to help you and your family manage finances, resolve financial problems and reach long-term goals such as buying a home, getting an education and planning for retirement.

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