Top 5 Advantages of Living in Off-Base Houses

Most transferred military officers have to deal with the headache of moving to an entirely new place after they are posted to a new location. While this is not a big deal for unmarried officers who don’t have kids and spouses, this is a massive decision for those with kids and spouses. While on-base accommodation is provided to them, there is also a choice of off-base military rental housing.

Choosing between the two can be difficult, as both have their advantages and disadvantages, but if you haven’t lived off-base while on duty before, here are 5 advantages of off-base housing for you to ponder on:

Separating Work & Personal Lives: Living on-base means you are entitled to report to work at any time of the day under the command of your superior officer. This can lead to mixing of your work life and personal life, and many newly formed families with young kids find it a distraction. Living off-base means you don’t have to report to every small situation on base, and are allowed to have a life after your daily work hours are over.

Savings on Housing Allowance: If you live on-base, you are required to hand off you entire housing allowance provided by the military to the contractor who maintains the on-base houses. While this covers many basic maintenance tasks along with rent, often you don’t get your entire money’s worth. If you live off-base, you can most probably save some of your housing allowance depending on the rent you pay.

Landing a Bigger House: On-base houses are all of the same size and look the same without any visible differentiating factor. Also, they are often old and small, which can be an issue for those who need more space. Off-base, you can get a military rental home probably twice the size at the same monthly rent or even less!

Making up Your Own Rules: Living on-base means you have to adhere to the military base rules, such as no pets, no visitors after the hours are over, no modifications to the house allowed and many more. If you choose to live off-base, you don’t have to follow these rules and are free to make up your own.

A More Civilian Community Feel: Living in base means you are surrounded by everyone related to military, which is a slight issue for those who want to live in a non-military community. Living off-base allows you to do just that, blending in with a civilian community as per as your convenience.