5 Things to Know About On Base Housing

If you’re new to the military lifestyle or moving, I know you have questions about On Base Housing. I know I did. My personal experience is from a Marine Corps Base only, so details may vary. 

There are two ways on base housing can go, it can be great, or it’s not. To be honest it’s really what you make of it. In my personal experience, there were ups and downs but I really did love our little house. Being a part of a military family is almost like being a college athlete, you have different experiences from non-athletes or civilians. So living on base was nice considering everyone around you understands the military lifestyle.

Perks of On Base Housing… 

Living in on base housing has its perks. Like I said before, one of the best parts is everyone around you is familiar with the military lifestyle. It’s also nice that the normal lawn care and outdoor maintenance that comes with owning a home, is taken care of with no extra cost to you. 

Other perks include the benefit of having any home maintenance or repairs being covered by on base housing staff. Plus, depending on the base, you could be given a house that would be much harder to afford if you lived in it off base in that area. For example, if you were stationed in California, what you pay for on base housing is much more affordable than off-base housing. 

In addition, the housing communities have amenities such as pools, gyms, small MCX stores, and even schools for your kids to attend within walking distance of your house. There are things like storage units and RV and trailer storage available for rent on base as well.  

The Downside of On Base Housing…

With anything, there are always pros and cons, and on base housing is no exception. Depending on your service member’s rank will depend on which neighborhoods you can apply for. And you guessed it… the higher the rank, the better the housing. 

Depending on your neighborhood, issues that you may need to be aware of are, driveway and garage space issues, street parking, noisy neighbors, neighborhood mentality, and normal renter problems. 

For example, my husband and I both drive large vehicles and our garage did not fit either one, length or width-wise. We also had a driveway that was short and only fit one vehicle. Due to the size of our vehicles both of them hung out on the sidewalk when we parked in the driveway. Naturally, the other battle then became street parking. 

My Advice for On Base Housing…

Basically what I’m getting at is, that there are always going to be pluses and minuses to your living situation whether on base or off. My advice is to do what makes the most sense for your family. In the meantime here are 5 things you should know about on base housing before your next move…

#1 – Ask about the HOT LIST…

The hot list is something that they don’t talk about often but you should know about it to ask about it. This is something that my husband and I were fortunate enough to benefit from. The hot list is a list of houses that the housing company has that can provide you with a number of benefits. 

Some of the benefits of this list could be that you are placed in a home that may be of lower rank than what you qualify for, so they allow you to keep the remaining BAH (Base Housing Allowance). Or if they need to fill houses in a certain neighborhood, they may offer to pay you to live in that home. In that case, you would still pay the normal rate but they would give you an extra $100.00 maybe even $300.00 a month. 

Trust me if you are planning on using on base housing, it would benefit you to ask for a house on the hot list. 

#2 – Make sure you have Renter’s Insurance… TRUST ME

Whether you’re living in on base housing or off-base housing if you are renting, it is ALWAYS a good idea to have renter’s insurance. Renter’s insurance can cover you for several things and honestly in the long run does not cost that much on a monthly basis. Just like when owning a home, things come up that are unexpected and it’s best to make sure you’re covered. 

I’ve actually had friends and family members both on base and off that have experienced crazy things like serious water damage from an upstairs toilet leak or a child leaving a bathtub running and flooding the house. Having that insurance makes a huge difference when you have to replace damaged items. 

When things break in on base housing, yes the housing company fixes all the damages to the home, but they do not cover any damages to your personal valuables. Do yourself a favor and make sure you’re covered. 

I recommend USAA. They have some really affordable insurance plans and they are always SUPER helpful when you call!  

#3 – Read the paperwork… 

This may be the paralegal in me, but please make sure you read what you are signing before you sign it. There will be a bunch of paperwork you will have to sign and initial when you get a home on base. Among that paperwork is a form that allows you to choose to let the maintenance workers come inside your home for repairs without you being there. 

Now, before I continue, I would like to disclose that I never had anything stolen or taken out of my home from on base staff, I just want that to be clear. But, I personally am not a fan of someone being in my home without my knowledge, or without myself or my husband being there. It’s just kind of weird. 

I’ve actually had someone come into my home while I was sleeping in my bed to do something with our water heater without my knowledge. I thought someone was breaking in, then convinced myself I was just hearing things. Eventually, when I went downstairs I was right, my front door was left wide open and the door to the water heater was also left open. IT WAS WEIRD… 

So I encourage you to make sure you know what you are giving permission to and what you are signing!

#4 – Annotate, Annotate, Annotate… 

THIS ONE IS VERY IMPORTANT! Before you sign paperwork for on base housing, they walk you through the entire house. This is your time to take down and document every little scratch, dent, mark, etc. that you see. 

If you see teeth marks on the baseboard from a previous renter’s dog, have that annotated. If you see an oil stain on the garage floor, annotate it. Is there a soft spot on the bathroom floor, definitely have that written down. ANNOTATE EVERYTHING. 

Why you might ask? Because when you leave on base housing, they come through and do an inspection. Anything not annotated, they can charge you for. Save yourself money and make sure you get everything documented.

#5 – What about Utilities for On Base Housing? 

Utilities are interesting in on base housing. They go by the average for the neighborhood. As long as you are within the average amount of usage for your neighborhood, you don’t pay anything. 

So what happens if you are under or over the average usage for the utilities? The housing company keeps track of your usage and notes it in your file. Think of it like a savings account for utilities. If you are under by $20.00 one month, that $20.00 gets credited to your account. The next month you are over by $20.00 that money you saved from the previous month will get used to cover your extra costs. If you don’t have any credit then you get billed the difference. 

In the end, when you move out if you have any extra money credited to your account, they pay you that money. So basically, if you stay below average with your utilities the housing company will actually pay you when it’s all said and done. 

Final Thoughts… 

I loved living on base. Everything you need is on base, grocery stores, clothing, restaurants, etc. So really if I really didn’t want to leave base, I never had to. Depending on who you talk to and their experience others may have different opinions. But honestly, we had it made on base. 

Is this going to be your first time living on base? Have you had different experiences on base? Comment below your thoughts, as always I’d love to hear from you. 

If you liked this post, check out some of my others… 

11 Tips on Packing for a Military Move

Surviving Deployment for Marines… Spouse Edition

The Best Quotes for Comparison to Change Your Mindset