Is it better to live on the military base?

I

iamanamerican

New member
What are the pro and cons of living on the military base? Just joined and go for bct in Jan. Would like to know does it benefits you to live on base and what amenties does the housing have? Or should I take the BAH and rent...
 
1. You will only live in off post housing if you are married and your family will be accompanying you
#2. This takes getting Command Sponsorship
#3. Are you going to be overseas or stateside.

I live in Germany off post. I love it. I wouldn't want to live on post here in Germany. All the on post housing is crowded and full of people who don't know how to clean. On the up side, it snows a lot here, so it would be nice to already be on post when that happend. Also, if you are on post you save on gas. I know some people that live nearly 30 miles from post. Talk to your recruiter, they have bad habits of not helping people get command sponsorship things squared away before you ship to BCT. And also, in the Army, its a Post not a Base.
 
Pros: Dont have to worry about making rent or utilities
Closer to work
Closer to the PX and clinic
Next to no crime

Cons: It is easier for the army to keep tabs on you, in other words they can get in your business, also your command can inspect your house (this is rarely done unless there is an issue)

Also if you get in an argument with your wife, your unit can take you out of the house and put you in the barracks, plus it goes on the blotter report for your leaders to see, only time your unit knows what goes on at your house if you live off post, is if you actually get arrested.

When you get off work, you feel like you arent still sort of at work, in otherwords you still have to sort of watch how you act (which is a good thing for the most part)

Last but not least, clearing housing is a Female DOG!
 
It honestly depends on the area you will be stationed at, what you want, what you qualify for, and some other factors.

Not every base/post has the commissary and exchange on it, sometimes it is off. Not all housing is on post/base either, some is off of it. If it is just 2 of you, you can find a decent apartment close by that is underneath the BAH including utilities so it is better to live not in housing. Some places outside offer more things if you rent like a gym, pool, community center, those things might not be available in housing right there.

With base/post housing you get a dishwasher, fridge and stove, nothing more than that. You still do have to pay for cable, internet and telephone out of pocket. They can have security if on base/post which is nice but that doesn't mean nothing does happen. You do not have to pay a security deposit which is good.
 
pros of living on base..dont have to pay for housing or utitlities it is all paid for. Since it's a military establishment won't have to worry about crimes. And its a short drive to the store to get anything you want tax free.

cons- really only one..you don't get your living allowance but that's ok since you get a nice paid for house on base.
 
you don't pay rent. only expenses will be phone and cable bill. close to work.
con-they can go inspect your house anytime they want too. you need to keep your yard neat and trimmed at all times. you can not let your grass die. no bald spots on lawn. some housing have no fences in back. you may be allowed to put up a chain link fence but you must remove it when you leave for another base. you have to go to auto hobby shop to work on your vehicle.
 
I also live on post in Germany. I HATE IT! We have no choice because they will not let us live off post. There are people from all walks of life thrown together into 1 community. The base gets pretty dirty and people don't take time to clean up after themselves.

Pro: Free utilities, everything is a walking distance
 
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