Pro's and Con's of Military Housing

Thinking about living in base housing?

Here are some pros and cons to consider!

There are several pros and cons of living on a military base. 

Pro 1: Safe, gated neighborhoods 

There is nothing more secure than living on a military base with armed guards standing at the gates to get into your community at all hours of the day. There may be some petty theft every now and then, but more than likely, nothing major.

Pro 2: Family-friendly community

Military bases are set up to help military families in the best way possible and make it so that everything is convenient. Therefore, this is a great environment for those of you with children.

Pro 3: Fewer bills

Living in base housing means that you don't have to pay for rent, water, sewer, or trash pickup. You only have to pay for electric if your bill goes over the average amount.

Pro 4: Maintenance is free 

All of your maintanence issues are handled by the Housing Office, which is especially helpful during deployments. They take care of water leaks, broken appliances, missing light bulbs, and any other issue you may have.

Pro 5: Kids can walk everywhere

Your children are able to walk to school, the playground, or just about anywhere else that they would like because of proximity and the safety of living on base. Kids can get a lot more exercise by walking or biking to friends’ houses instead of riding in a car.

Pro 6: Base activities

Military bases offer gyms, swimming pools, playgrounds, and many other activities, often completely free.

Pro 7: Shorter commute to work

Military members living on base are literally minutes from work, which is great if they want to come home for lunch, or be home on time for dinner.

Pro 8: Built-in social community

Everyone living on a military base is or has been in the military, so automatically you have something in common with your neighbors, and oftentimes, your neighbors will be similar in rank and family size. Because bases are such a tight community, people are always willing to help each other out.

Pro 9: You family can survive with one car

Because most of the base housing is walking distance to the Commissary, PX, and gym, you don't necessarily need a second car if, for example, you and your spouse both work on base, or one person is a stay-at-home mom.

In addition to the pros, there are some cons to living on base.

Con 1: You will lose your BAH

You will not receive any Basic Allowance for Housing (BAH) which is intended to cover rent, electricity, etc. because you already have free housing.

Con 2: No opportunity to gain equity

Because you don't own your house on base, you can't gain any equity from it. However, if you want to purchase a house off base, you can qualify with you VA benefits. Typically, if you own a house for about 2 years, you can gain equity and be able to sell it if you need to (depending on the market). You can also buy a house and use it as a rental property, which will also help build equity. Know that you can use your VA benefits multiple times, especially if you are PCSing to another area.

Con 3: Fewer choices

Unfortunately, many houses on base are old, small, and don't have any fancy fixtures or amenities. Some bases, like Hurlburt Field here in Florida, are building new houses, but those are in high demand. You will be assigned a home based on the military member’s rank and number of dependents. You can turn down a house once or twice, but due to the high demand, they will just move on to the next person wanting housing.

Con 4: Long waiting lists

It takes about 6 months to 1 year to get into base housing, so if you want to live on base, apply for housing as soon as you get orders.

Con 5: You could pay more for electricity

If you live in places with extreme temperatures, like here in blazing hot Florida, you could end up paying more for electricity. The RECP energy billing program uses “neighborhood averages” to calculate your electric bill, so if you are using above the average electricity of everyone else in your neighborhood, you could end up paying a higher bill than those who live off base.

Con 6: “Fishbowl” effect 

On base, everybody knows everybody, and therefore, knows everyone's business. Depending on your personality type, this could lead to unnecessary drama and tension.

Con 7: Never really get away from work 

Military members living on base are constantly surrounded by colleagues, which can make it difficult to relax and take a break away from work.

Moving to Hurlburt Field, Eglin AFB, or Duke Field? We have some awesome houses in the area! Check them out here.

PCSing to a new base, but own a home at your current location? Check out our tips for what to do with your house!