If your family has received military orders recently, you are probably already looking in every housing website and group for housing at your next destination. You have probably called the on-base military housing to scope out wait times, neighborhoods and maybe even sent in an application. It doesn’t hurt to have options, right? If you are moving to an area where the waitlist for on-base housing is 12+ months, and off-base housing has either low availability or pricing that is not supportable within Basic Allowance for Housing (BAH), you might be looking for other options. While you might have to rent that house that is $500 above BAH, and that’s without utilities, you are probably looking for other options as well. So, what other options are there?
Long Term Stay Hotels
Check out chain hotels for “extended stay hotels” that offer larger hotel rooms with amenities that can make hotel living doable for a short period of time. Most of these hotels offer free breakfast, and maybe even free meals for dinner on weekday evenings. They also offer free nights for stays longer than several nights or offer weekly rates which can lower the overall cost of the stay. If you are looking to cook, most extended stay hotels have a kitchen or kitchenette In with varying appliances depending on the location and brand. While the larger room and kitchen may make it feel like an apartment, it is still very much a hotel This means they may offer daily or weekly housekeeping dropping off coffee and tea and laundry service for towels and sheets. Bonus if there is a pool at the hotel property for burning off kid, and adult, energy at the end of the day. It can be fun for a short stay and make the wait for housing feel more like a vacation than an added stress. Some of these hotels are also pet-friendly, meaning you do not have to board your pet while staying at them.
Temporary Lodging Facilities
Temporary Lodging Facilities, or TLFs, are military hotels that are made with the idea of extended stays – whether it is for those who are coming to the base for training or for PCSing. The TLFs often have a kitchen in some form – usually a stovetop, fridge, freezer, and microwave. Some even have grills on the ground adding extra cooking ability, especially if you do not have an oven and you really want that pizza. TLFs usually have laundry in the hotel, or even may be available in each individual room. This allows for doing laundry all time of day, versus having to find a laundromat. These facilities offer rates based on rank, so usually don’t add up beyond BAH in a total month, or near it.
On Post RV Campground
So you can’t find a house at your next location, or you have a projected 6-12 month wait for on-base housing. If you have an RV, an RV campground is a great place to live. There are many military bases that offer RV campgrounds on the post. This means you can get a lay of the land in regard to the areas around the base and even schools if you have kids to make the best housing decision you can with more information. If you have been looking at getting an RV for your move and can’t find a home, maybe this is the sign to make the purchase. It can be a large purchase and shouldn’t be done simply because you do not have a home lined up. But if you have already been looking and planning on getting an RV, maybe this is your sign. Even if you can’t get a spot at the RV Campgrounds on base, look off base!
Crash At A Friends
This is not ideal for a long-term solution. It’s already rough moving with your teen for the third time in four years, but if you have a family friend that is at the new duty station who is willing to host you and your family and may even help in the transition of the move, this might be ideal for a few weeks. Think of it as one long staycation. Navigating a stay with friends can be tricky and should only be done when both parties can clearly outline expectations on both sides. Free or cheap lodging isn’t worth losing a friendship over.
Geo-Bach It Temporarily
Geo-Bach or Geo-Bachelor is a term used for when the service member goes to the next duty station unaccompanied, or without their family. While it is usually used for those who choose to, or it is deemed necessary for medical reasons, separate from the time of the tour, it can also be done in the short term. If you have a house where you currently live, is it possible to extend where you are while looking for a place to live at the new location or waiting for base housing? If you are on base, will the current military housing allow you to stay while waiting for housing at the next location? If you are locked into a lease at your current location, will the landlords allow you to move later if the military orders have already been executed without financial penalty? This isn’t ideal for everyone and is very much a personal choice, this can provide flexibility in an unknown housing world.
What do you do when you are waiting for on-base housing or can’t find a rental out in town?
