It is one of the realities of a soldier’s life – having to up and leave a home every few years or even every few months. The soldier is used to it: having to pack up all that they and their family owns to set up home in a new place. While it is great to be able to get to know new places and to increase one’s sum of knowledge, there is a lot of stress and hassle involved in this. There are a couple of options the soldier has – to buy military housing or to opt for furnished apartment rentals. We look at the pros and cons of both options:
The benefits of buying military housing
By definition, a soldier’s life is peripatetic but many military personnel feel that it is important for their families to live with a sense of permanence and belonging in one place. If you do decide to settle down in one place either because of the children’s education, a spouse’s career or simply because you like a place that much, it does of course make sense to buy a house. Then you can literally put down roots, furnish a home as per your choice and not be bound by the terms and covenants of a lease. Meanwhile you still continue to receive your BAH (Basic Allowance for Housing).
Benefits of furnished apartment rentals and leases
However it can be lonely and tedious living a life away from one’s family all of the time. Deployments, conflict zone assignments are all very well, but families want to live together whenever possible. Setting up one home base will prevent this. Besides, a soldier is never really sure how long each tenure is going to be. Those marching orders can arrive at any time; quite literally! There is a need for more flexible and convenient military housing here which is provided by furnished apartment rental facilities tailored specially for military personnel.
Furnished apartment rentals can make a lot of economic sense – these are fully furnished dwellings ideal for military families. Unlike traditional rental options, the lease terms are typically between 1 and 14 months, and the monthly payments include utilities. Designed for military living, these are typically gated communities that include additional facilities – emergency services, garbage disposal or compacting, proximity to schools, parks and golf courses and resort like amenities such as pool and gym. Unlike your own home, here, maintenance issues are taken care of by the leaser; another huge plus when you rent or lease.