Off base housing?

[coldnoodles]

I want to live off base? What do I need to know? How do I do it? I have checked out all the housing websites. Does my husband/sponsor have to be here and do this or can I do it?

[L Boogie]

I live off-base in Yomitan, and I love it. We went through Ace-Housing right out of gate 2. First of all, off-base housing through an agency is EXPENSIVE. You will need to pay first and last month's rent as a deposit. There is also an agency fee, and if you have pets, a pet fee. I think we ended up having to pay close to $3000 to move off-base. I'm not sure about the other branches, but if you're Air Force, you can get an advancement for the costs, and to pay it back, it comes right off the paycheck. Also, electricity is RIDICULOUS in the summer. Just last month we had a $400 electric bill, and we don't even run the AC the majority of the day. I'm pretty sure your sponsor has to be on island unless you have a power of attorney. If you want more info, visit the housing office in your area. I think the one on Kadena deals with all branches, and they could probably be more informative than me.

[P_chan]

Boogie pretty much explained it all. But I took out closer to a 4000 dollar advance for my place. But I've never seen rediclous electric bills like everyone claims to have. Sure it's higher in the summer but not that much. During the cold months my electric bill is around 8,000 yen. Then in the summer it's about 13,000 yen. I think the reason mine isn't too bad is because don't have a big electric american dryer. I just hang all my laundry out to dry.

[Muku]

Boogie pretty much explained it all. But I took out closer to a 4000 dollar advance for my place. But I've never seen rediclous electric bills like everyone claims to have. Sure it's higher in the summer but not that much. During the cold months my electric bill is around 8,000 yen. Then in the summer it's about 13,000 yen. I think the reason mine isn't too bad is because don't have a big electric american dryer. I just hang all my laundry out to dry.
I know of some families that live off base in large 4 and 5 bedroom houses, and their electric bills are through the roof. One guy told me he paid over 100,000 earlier this summer for one months bill.

Of course they left the A/C on 24/7 throughout the entire house. They were shocked, because they moved from on base to off base housing and on base they never saw a utility bill.

American's btw are not charged any different than Japanese when it comes to the first, and last month rent plus the one month for the agency fee. If you search around and know someone that speaks Japanese there are more and more places opening up that are being rented out by the owner. If you manage to find one like that the charge will probably be drastically different.

However most of these places are much smaller than the "American" apartments and more off the beaten track. Most are older as well.

[P_chan]

Yeah I only run the AC once I'm home, and in the room I'm in. I run it all the time at night, but the room ac is a small one and doesn't use a lot of power. I've never seen a bill get higher then 13,800 yen this whole summer! I tend to have the AC on while I'm playing halo 3! That means the big AC unit is on, so is the 42" plasma, the xbox 360, and the surround sound system! But still, the bill was only 13,800! Last month I thought I ran it too much but I got the bill and it was only 12,800!

I think another big factor is that my wife works too:D So, no one but the dog is home during the day!

[Tempestuous]

I could be wrong, but my impression was that Military members were required by the military to go through a rental agency.
Since your rental must meet certain criteria and be base inspected & approved in order to receive funding for it. And agencies are set up with the base and covers all that garbage for the service members.

Also thought that the military would only cover the expense of moving you once. So if you were offbase waiting for an onbase opening before, then you would be responsible to foot the entire bill for moving back offbase.

The best bet would be to go into the housing office and ask in person (which it is still possible to get 6 different stories if you ask 6 different people). But as mentioned, you would have to have a general power of attorney to actually be able to do anything while he was away.

[coldnoodles]

I could be wrong, but my impression was that Military members were required by the military to go through a rental agency.
Since your rental must meet certain criteria and be base inspected & approved in order to receive funding for it. And agencies are set up with the base and covers all that garbage for the service members.

Also thought that the military would only cover the expense of moving you once. So if you were offbase waiting for an onbase opening before, then you would be responsible to foot the entire bill for moving back offbase.

The best bet would be to go into the housing office and ask in person (which it is still possible to get 6 different stories if you ask 6 different people). But as mentioned, you would have to have a general power of attorney to actually be able to do anything while he was away.

I did go to Housing office on Kadena, waste of time like always! This chick had no idea what she was talking about. I have POA, but all she told me was you go thru a housing agency, find the house you like, come back to housing office with the info on you new home, fill out paperwork, and thats it. Well she left and comes back and tells me each agency has different fee's and all that has to be paid before coming back to housing office. WTF? Then she goes off telling me that I pay out of pocket first, then they will reimburse us. I asked her do I have to get a 3 or 4 bedroom, cuz of family size or can I stick w/a 1bdrm? She said we would have to get a 4 bedroom, for family of 5. Here I am asking her why would I get a 4 bedroom when for the past 2 years we have slept on our living room floor? We don't use the upstairs bedrooms, the family constantly gets sick and hospitalized.

Here she was trying to talk me out of moving off base. Telling me how good it is to live on base vs off base. Here I gave her copies of letters from the doctors here, and I was told there is nothing the housing office could do about my house. I know and I have heard there excuses for the past 2yrs, no one can explain why I have X's on my windows.

She listed the cons of living off base:
high rent
high utilities
dealing with agency company
dealing with landlord/agency
no parking/limited parking
you don't get military protection during typhoon or personal damage
housing is different from states
you have drive your kids to school everyday
you have to pay out of pocket for moving expenses

I really don't care about the above.

[Tempestuous]

She is correct,
you visit the housing agency first, find the place you want to rent,
get the paperwork from the agency, then return that paperwork to the base housing office. They will then start getting your dates set up for moving out, final inspection, approval for when you can move into your offbase place, etc.

Yes, you will have to pay for the move out of your pocket, then have to deal with trying to get reimbursed. Bottom line is I wouldn't count on getting reimbursed. Make your decision on if you can afford to cover the moving expenses along with your other monthly obligations.

As for number of bedrooms, as far as the base looks at it, they provided you with X amt of bedrooms. The fact you don't use them is not in the equation.

They were provided and you have to have a place with X amt of bedrooms supplied. How you divide the sleeping arrangements is up to you, as long as you can say there are X amt of bedrooms available.

[L Boogie]

We went from lodging on Kadena to off-base immediately. Kadena housing office gave us a packet of approved apartment/house listings off base with details like bedrooms, w/d hookup, etc.

Off-base, they don't give a rat's butt how many bedrooms you have. You are given a certain amount of housing allowance depending on rank and dependants, and from there, you choose what place you want. You can get a crappier place with more bedrooms, or you can get a nicer place with less space. Or you can always do what we do...we pay a little out of pocket every month. Say your housing allowance is $2000 a month, but you want a place that's $2200...you can use up your housing allowance since it comes on your paycheck, and then pay another $200 out of pocket.

Are you Air Force? If so, I can help you with the process.

[L Boogie]

Oh sorry for the double post...

Unless they recently changed it, we got the advancement first. They didn't reimburse us. We went to 721 with some paperwork, they approved it, we went to the cashier window, and they gave us lots of yen. We then went to the housing agency and paid for everything. I don't know why you would get reimbursed for paying $3000 out of pocket. I don't think there's too many people around here with that kind of money laying around...that's why it was an advancement.

I'm willing to bet the lady at the housing office was on crack.

[Muku]

Say your housing allowance is $2000 a month, but you want a place that's $2200...you can use up your housing allowance since it comes on your paycheck, and then pay another $200 out of pocket.

Are you Air Force? If so, I can help you with the process.
Do you mean to tell me that you guys are getting around $2000 per month for a housing allowance? :-|

Is that an average, high end, low end?

[P_chan]

Yes, you get a housing advance that you have to pay back. They will automatically take the money out of your paycheck until you pay the advance back. Be careful, it can be a lot of money. Mine is about 340 bucks a month and it will be finished around march.

Do you mean to tell me that you guys are getting around $2000 per month for a housing allowance?

Is that an average, high end, low end?

Seems like high end to me! I get about $1300 a month for rent.

[TheLastDon]

I know of some DODDS people getting $3000 and up for housing. It all depends on your rank (civilian or military). All the housing agents know your allowance, just give them your rank and how many dependents and thay have a chart that tells them. I don't know where they get the info but they know it.

A little piece of advice try to go to as many as you can. Some agents will show you the crappy places first because the agent will get kickbacks from some of the owners of the house of apartment. I am not saying they are all like this but there are some bad ones and there are some good ones. THe other thing is to try and find a new or close to new place. If you rent an older place they will have old AC in them and those use a lot of electricity. That is why some people have high electric bills.

[L Boogie]

I was just using $2000/mo housing allowance as an example. We definitely don't get that much since it's just my hubby and I, no kids.

I definitely recommend Ace Housing...and stay away from Kadena Circle Housing...they showed us a bunch of really crappy places, and the guy that drove us around almost killed us a few times. It was scary.

[Muku]

I don't know where they get the info but they know it.


Finance Office (http://www.mcbbutler.usmc.mil/FinanceOffice/default.asp)
If you are on a secure military computer the information is rather easy to find.

[coldnoodles]

Finance Office (http://www.mcbbutler.usmc.mil/FinanceOffice/default.asp)
If you are on a secure military computer the information is rather easy to find.

or go to https://corpweb1.dfas.mil/askDFAS/askMilPay.jsp
scroll down to BAH rates, then click BAH calculator, then scroll down to overseas housing allowance, click rate query, put in your info, and it tells you all the info you need!! :w00t:

[Tempestuous]

L.Boogie- The difference between how you did it and what she is doing is you were new to island. Most people I have known are new to island and end up off-base until base housing comes available (some even find good off-base housing and stay the entire duration of their tour in town).

Coldnoodles already lives on-base and has for sometime now.
If she was already out in town and the military moved her on-base for her Sebille Manor housing area, (I asked about that in an earlier post & don't know the answer to it) they will not cover to move her off-base again.
My understanding is the military only covers one on-island move, period. If you want to move more than that you are free too, but at your own expense.

The other sticky part is the advancement- are there limitations to advance pay? (I thought there was, like a certain time period or somethin, but very well could be wrong) Did her hubby already get an advancement for moving? Will they allow them to get it again? Just questions here. I don't know the answer to them or if they make a difference. But it is possible they could.

There is the possibility that they may be stuck footing the bill for this move. The end result may be worth it to them depending on the situation.
When you are talking sanity and health, there is a lot people are willing to pay for those two things. And to have a happy and healthy family could very well be worth the $3,000 price tag.
But you have consider the alternatives and make an individualized decision.

Shoot, we made a costly decision ourselves- live rent free in a parents extra house (in which they kept a key for and would come by and let themselves in, regardless of if we were home or not) or go out and spend the $$$ to get our own house. The price of having our own space and parents NOT having a key to it was worth it :) IMO When you talk of saving your sanity vs saving a $1,000+ a month.....it's just a personal decision on what's worth it to you.

[Muku]

We have to pay out of pocket for us to move off base.

We never took an advancement out.

When you are talking sanity and health,

There is more to the sanity and health issues, the inside of the house the kitchen is in another room with door, so I am not able to see the living room. And the laundry room is to the right of the kitchen (another door to go thru).

When I am trying to cook or do laundry, my 3yr old will put pillows on top of 2yr old, jump oh her stomach, chest, slam her into the wall, knock her down. I am always running into the living room to see what happened. Even when my 11yr old is watching them in the room, thats a nightmare!

The other night I was doing laundry, well trying to start laundry, next thing I heard screaming, my 11yr old yelling saying she is bleeding from the mouth. It was my 3yr old, she kept saying my 11yr old did it, my 2yr old told me the same thing. Turned out my 11yr old threw the 3yr old sippy cup at her, cuz she threw it at her and hit her leg. So my 11yr took revenge, but threw it hard. WTF? I was pissed, she is 3yrs old, she doesn't understand anything, she has hearing loss. I iced her lip, now she has a purple bruise on lip inside looks like a blood blister, the outside of lip is all purple and red, very swollen. It never ends between the 3 girls. I can't even go to the bathroom without something happening. Even if I take 1 with me, the other 2 fight.

Other reason, I can't re-arrange this house anymore I am out of ideas. I have a gate that blocks the 70" TV, XBOX 360, Wii, PS2, games, movies, etc. I also have a gate that blocks the hallway. I have re-arranged the block to dining room too many times nothing is working. So far they know how to get over all the gates. My last move I took the kitchen table turned it on its side so its facing the TV and put the couch behind it and then I have 2 gates on the side of it. They still manage to get over the gates, destroy everything. I am cleaning the house 24/7 my husband calls and keeps telling me i need to re-arrange the house again. I am completely out of ideas! I can take 1 kid with me everywhere I go, but the other one follows or goes the opposite way. Like the other night I was doing laundry and the 11yr old was suppose to watch the 3yr old, next thing I know the 3yr old is gone, my 11yr old fell asleep at 6pm. Here I was going all thru out the house and upstairs looking for her. I found her in a room upstairs, next thing I know she was vomiting all night, turned out she was drinking shampoo, she signed she was thirsty.

I rather find a place that I know my kids will be safe from each other!! A place with an opened kitchen area, a place where my kids won't get sick non stop and end up at Lester for weeks, a place where my kids can play outside o close to a park. I rather live on base to save money to pay off debt, but its not worth it. I already know if I don't get out of this house the 2yr old is going to be going to the hospital one of these days.

Is it just me? Something here just doesnt sound right?

Have the inmates taken over the asylum, figuratively speaking of course?

But then again it could be taken literally as well?

Sounds like a rant but something more.

Edited to add; Noodles remember this, "You reap what you sow".

[Boost]

Is it just me? Something here just doesnt sound right?


Nope, it's not just you. :rolleyes:

Judging by the story just told, I don't think any place would be "safer" except a place with individualized, lockable, padded rooms! Straight jacket might help too.

I know some houses/apartments may be more "family friendly" then others but going off the fiasco Coldnoodles described, there arn't any I've seen that friendly, safe, or secure!

[Muku]

Nope, it's not just you. :rolleyes:

Judging by the story just told, I don't think any place would be "safer" except a place with individualized, lockable, padded rooms! Straight jacket might help too.

I know some houses/apartments may be more "family friendly" then others but going off the fiasco Coldnoodles described, there arn't any I've seen that friendly, safe, or secure!

I agree and ultimately it is the parents that create the safe environment and are responsible for the actions of the children.

[Skiman1969]

Does anyone have any good links to off base housing agencies? I have already Central, Joy and OKI-US.

[htran804]

We used Imagine Housing. Mr. Nakasone is a really nice guy and he found us a nice 3 bedroom place for my husband's E-3 allowance. I'm happy with the one we picked out. Its not brand new, but it is very clean and at 1300sq ft. it is pretty roomy.

[htran804]

The other sticky part is the advancement- are there limitations to advance pay? (I thought there was, like a certain time period or somethin, but very well could be wrong) Did her hubby already get an advancement for moving? Will they allow them to get it again? Just questions here. I don't know the answer to them or if they make a difference. But it is possible they could.


I asked my husband to take a look at this thread and he told me that he had to go to his First shirt to get approval for the advanced pay. There really isn't a limit on the amount you can get, but you have to pay it back within 12months so there is no point in getting a ton of money up front. He said that the Finance Office will automatically pull it out of your pay once a month so you need to consider that before making any moves. He pulled out about 350,000 yen for the move to our apartment (1 full month of security deposit, 1full month of rent because we moved in on the 1st, the agency fee, deposits on gas, and water, and the monthly trash bill), but he's good with budgeting so we haven't had to worry about paying it back within our 12month term. :thumbup:

Oh and our electricity hasn't gone over 25,000 yen since my husband got here in March 2007. We only have 2 wall-units, but they keep us comfy. He mentioned that the AC units have filters that need to be clean, and the coolant must be checked every now and then. Some people he knows who have had really big electric bills had low coolant in the AC, and they were told that was the reason for the high electric usage. Makes sense to me I guess.

[htran804]

I did go to Housing office on Kadena, waste of time like always! This chick had no idea what she was talking about. I have POA, but all she told me was you go thru a housing agency, find the house you like, come back to housing office with the info on you new home, fill out paperwork, and thats it. Well she left and comes back and tells me each agency has different fee's and all that has to be paid before coming back to housing office.

This is htran804's husband. Figured it was easier to write rather than having my wife ask me questions lol.

I went through 3 different agencies and each one of them had similar fees. Like others have said your rental rate is dependent on your rank, and the agency fee is 1/2 of the monthly rental rate. If you move from one off-base location to another using the same agency you don't have to pay the agency fee again....just a small transfer fee. I was last quoted about 10,000 yen a month or so ago.

If you haven't moved off base before you'll got a one-time move in housing allowance to help pay for movers, utility deposits, etc. You'll see it as MIHA, and its about $400 if I remember correctly. I don't know if you got it when you moved to an on-base house so I'd check on it. If you didn't then that can definitely help.


WTF? Then she goes off telling me that I pay out of pocket first, then they will reimburse us. I asked her do I have to get a 3 or 4 bedroom, cuz of family size or can I stick w/a 1bdrm? She said we would have to get a 4 bedroom, for family of 5. Here I am asking her why would I get a 4 bedroom when for the past 2 years we have slept on our living room floor? We don't use the upstairs bedrooms, the family constantly gets sick and hospitalized.


Yep you pay out of pocket first. Either you have the money or you sponsor will have to get an pay advancement (if one wasn't already given previously). You aren't going to get reimbursed for the initial security deposit, but you will get 1 reimbursement for the agency fee.

Here she was trying to talk me out of moving off base. Telling me how good it is to live on base vs off base. Here I gave her copies of letters from the doctors here, and I was told there is nothing the housing office could do about my house. I know and I have heard there excuses for the past 2yrs, no one can explain why I have X's on my windows.

She listed the cons of living off base:
high rent
high utilities
dealing with agency company
dealing with landlord/agency
no parking/limited parking
you don't get military protection during typhoon or personal damage
housing is different from states
you have drive your kids to school everyday
you have to pay out of pocket for moving expenses

I really don't care about the above.

The cons living off-base are minimal if any provided that you and your sponsor can setup a budget.
* High rent shouldn't be a problem if you only rent within your max allowance.
* Utilities isn't bad either as long as you are smart with your usage.
* The agency companies are very nice from my experience so thats a plus.
* The landlords haven't bothered me at all, plus they don't speak english most of the time so I can't get yelled at even if I screwed up somewhere :w00t:
* I only get 1 assigned parking, but we haven't had the need for any more than that. I would ask how many parking spots are available when you go look at different properties (if that is important to you).
* I don't know anything about typhoon protection. I've been here since March 2007 and my apartment held up just fine during the last 2 typhoons.
* Some housing is different from the states, but there are American style houses out there. Alot of them are new, and alot of them are geared for allowances that require mil-mil marriages (double OHA basically). My wife is a civilian so we couldn't get that high of an allowance. Even then my allowance is plenty for what we needed.
* We don't have kids so I can't comment on the school thing.
* Yep you have to pay out of pocked to move for the most part. Just like someone else said it may be worth it depending on your particular situation.


This is solely based on my personal experience since I've lived off-base from the very beginning. I'd still confirm it with the Housing Agency before pulling the trigger. Good luck - htran804's husband

[htran804]

Oh, and there are places that you can rent month to month. I stayed in the one of them when I first got here since billeting was full, and it wasn't bad. It was fully furnished, and everything was paid for except electricity.

Pro's:
* no security deposit
* no agency fee
* month to month lease instead of the 6month to 1year leases
* plenty of parking (just a big parking lot)
* furnished w/ appliances
* internet is included
* phone is included (but you pay for the usage. I think its per minute, but I've never used it).
* was within my jr. enlisted max allowance

Con's:
* pretty darn small. 2bedroom with a living room and kitchen was about 500sq ft. Might be too small for a family of 4, but I did see families staying there short-term because they were PCS'ing off the island and billeting was full.
* no dryer. They have a washer, and you had the choice of hanging up your clothes or using the dryer they had. It was 200yen for about 45 minutes, and its pretty small. I normally had to pay 400-600 yen to dry my jeans and uniforms.
* The Housing Office will know that you are only paying for electricity so your sponsor will not get the full utility allowance.

If I had to do it over again I think I would have stayed in it a little longer. I'm happy with where I am currently at, but it would have definitely saved me $3500 in advanced pay if I didn't leave.

- htran804's husband

[prekteacher]

Oh, and there are places that you can rent month to month. I stayed in the one of them when I first got here since billeting was full, and it wasn't bad. It was fully furnished, and everything was paid for except electricity.

Pro's:
* no security deposit
* no agency fee
* month to month lease instead of the 6month to 1year leases
* plenty of parking (just a big parking lot)
* furnished w/ appliances
* internet is included
* phone is included (but you pay for the usage. I think its per minute, but I've never used it).
* was within my jr. enlisted max allowance

Con's:
* pretty darn small. 2bedroom with a living room and kitchen was about 500sq ft. Might be too small for a family of 4, but I did see families staying there short-term because they were PCS'ing off the island and billeting was full.
* no dryer. They have a washer, and you had the choice of hanging up your clothes or using the dryer they had. It was 200yen for about 45 minutes, and its pretty small. I normally had to pay 400-600 yen to dry my jeans and uniforms.
* The Housing Office will know that you are only paying for electricity so your sponsor will not get the full utility allowance.

If I had to do it over again I think I would have stayed in it a little longer. I'm happy with where I am currently at, but it would have definitely saved me $3500 in advanced pay if I didn't leave.

- htran804's husband

did the govt pay for your stay? what's the name of the place you rented?

[drinkandrun]

So let me see if I have this right, they (the Gov) take care of the agency/moving fees when you first get to the island. If you decide to move again it's on you. So are the agencies good or is it the standard military mafia situation where someone who works at the commissary is related to the guy/gal who runs the agency and they drink with the housing office people? Sorry for the rant but I always feel like I need a shower after using on of our Marine Corps Community "Service" offices. Can I get good service or will I get the stupid white boy treatment from some half connected guy/gal?
Second, you never see your housing allowance right? It just goes straight to the land lord so you won't/can't pocket anything. Therefore it's silly to not max out the rent OHA equation. Is this correct?
Finally, are there any single people on this board that live off base? I'd be interested in some perspective from you.
Thanks.
GBR!

[socalheart]

We went through more or less the same stuff as the rest of the military folks when moving off base. If I remember correctly, the housing office gave us the money to get our apartment. They take it out of his paycheck each month for a year. We were not given the option of on-base housing.

[socalheart]

Second, you never see your housing allowance right? It just goes straight to the land lord so you won't/can't pocket anything. Therefore it's silly to not max out the rent OHA equation. Is this correct?
Finally, are there any single people on this board that live off base?

For us, we were given the cash for move-in expenses and receive the housing allowance divided between two paychecks. It's our responsibitlity to pay the housing agency rent and such. I think it's beneficial to use your housing allowance in its entirety. There are single military people who rent in our apt. bldg. Most are in a roommate situation though. I don't know how they wing that one.

[htran804's slave]

did the govt pay for your stay? what's the name of the place you rented?

I was at Hamagawa Lodge. They run 2 separate facilities, one for TLA and hotel use, and the other for month-to-month rentals. What I described above was the month-to-month rental.

Initially I stayed in the "hotel" side. I was on my 20 day TLA when I arrived on Okinawa. The gov't paid for it, but it had to be reimbursed to me. I had to pay ~$110/night up front and wait about 4 weeks before I saw that money. It wasn't too bad though because I had a credit card with enough room on it. When it was time to move to the month-to-month side of things I just packed my stuff and moved down the parking lot a bit. Eagle Lodge would also be another place to check out, but I prefer the location of Hamagawa Lodge.

[htran804's slave]

So let me see if I have this right, they (the Gov) take care of the agency/moving fees when you first get to the island. If you decide to move again it's on you. Yep. It is a 1-time reimbursement.

So are the agencies good or is it the standard military mafia situation where someone who works at the commissary is related to the guy/gal who runs the agency and they drink with the housing office people? Sorry for the rant but I always feel like I need a shower after using on of our Marine Corps Community "Service" offices. Can I get good service or will I get the stupid white boy treatment from some half connected guy/gal? Not sure why you feel that way, but I'm pretty sure you've had to deal with alot more of this kind of stuff than I have (I'm only been in since May 2006). Nothing outside of the base is "standard" as it is not run by any US Government agency. Everyone is generally really nice though so I doubt you'd get the run-around off-base. On-base getting the run-around should be expected.

Second, you never see your housing allowance right? It just goes straight to the land lord so you won't/can't pocket anything. Therefore it's silly to not max out the rent OHA equation. Is this correct?
You have spend your OHA on your rent. If your max is 150,000 yen per month, but the Kadena Housing Office has your place listed in their computers @ 135,000 yen per month then that is all the gov't will give you. Its not like BAH in the states where you get to keep your excess cash. If you are moving in with another single military member in hopes to split the rent and keep the excess then forge about it. If your max is 150,000 yen, and your roommate's max is 150,000 yen then you might want to find something that is 300,000 yen/month. If you two decide to get a place that is only 200,000 yen/month, then the gov't will only give you EACH 100,000 yen/month for rent.

Also the money for rent, utlities, etc goes to into your paycheck. It is your responsibility to go and pay your housing agency (they are your landlord), and your utilities. I use GI Bill Pay and they pull the money out of my bank account and disperse it wherever it has to go.


Finally, are there any single people on this board that live off base? I'd be interested in some perspective from you.
Thanks.
GBR! When I got out here I was single for 7 months until my wife got here. What sort of perspective are you looking for? If you are in the AF and are an E-4 and below it might be wise to live in the dorms when you first get to the island. You make alot more friends than you would off-base unless you know the language.

[htran804's slave]

If I remember correctly, the housing office gave us the money to get our apartment. They take it out of his paycheck each month for a year. Your husband took out advanced pay for the initial move. I had to do that, and I'll be done with it by March 2008.

[drinkandrun]

When I got out here I was single for 7 months until my wife got here. What sort of perspective are you looking for? If you are in the AF and are an E-4 and below it might be wise to live in the dorms when you first get to the island. You make alot more friends than you would off-base unless you know the language.

Single may not be the right expression so I'll include married with no kids. Looking for housing is just different when your single and on base is not an option, single officer housing is a hotel room and you never feel like you leave work (total sympathy for what the Es put up with). I'm a Marine, going to Futenma and have 1 or 2 guys who would like to do a roommate thing. We'll all be on separate det skeds so we'll never be home at the same time. I'd like to live close to the water/surf and walking distance to a neighborhood watering hole. No offense to parents but I'd prefer not to live in a building surrounded by kids, little dudes are loud and don't sleep. I don't know how you do it, I like 'em as long as their parents pick them up:D. That's the perspective I'm looking for thanks for all the good replies, you guys rule:thumbup1:.

GBR!

[Cathleen_38]

here's what I need if I am to live in okinawa.

1) unfurnished apartment or house to rent/buy.
2) are there tariffs on car imports?
3) a visa and a sponsor.
4) a good job to support myself with and money to get to okinawa in the first place.

The other alternative I have is to live in Honolulu, Hawaii working at Mcdonald's doing the same job I'm doing now in Newark. Maintenance (janitorial work) for 8.75@hr. Yee doggie!! Not!! but what else am I going to do? Sucks the big snausage. if ya know what I mean. :rolleyes::rolleyes::army::rolleyes::rolleyes:

[Asshat]

1) unfurnished apartment or house to rent/buy.

To rent starts at $550 and goes up.

2) are there tariffs on car imports?

Yes. Cars are very cheap here. Not worth bringing one.

3) a visa and a sponsor.

Marry someone with a job, marry a local, come here for a year (three months at a time and extend) or get hired by an agency here willing to sponsor you.

4) a good job to support myself with and money to get to okinawa in the first place.

If you get any of the above, this will be taken care of.

The other alternative I have is to live in Honolulu, Hawaii working at Mcdonald's doing the same job I'm doing now in Newark.

I doubt I'd like Newark....but Honolulu did absolutely nothing for me. It's a town with more bleached blonds and broken dreams than Hollywood. Hard to pay the rent in Honolulu with a Miky D salary.

www.usajobs.gov

[Bones]

Hey Cathleen-38,

One other thing that you need to be aware of, Recycling.

If you should actually find yourself on-island, recycling is an important issue in regards to waste disposal. For example:

1. Paper, and anything that can be burned, will be picked up on a specific day.
This includes packing materials of the sort that you find when buying electronic items, Styrofoam, plastic wrappings, and stuff like that.

2. Cardboard boxes, which can be recycled will be picked up on another day.

3. Aluminum cans, such as soda/beer cans, put them into any kind of plastic bag, and throw them into the trash area. There are a lot of locals who dig through our trash off base, and they will take care of those for you.

4. Plastic containers, these will have to have all labels removed, and they have to be placed into specially approved plastic bags, which will cost you about 300-400 yen, for 10 bags. You can buy those at your local Lawson's, or other type of convenience store within your new neighborhood.

5. Any large electronic components such as tv's, computers, stereos, must be taken to a recycling place, and it will cost you anywhere from 10,000 yen, or more, to get rid of those.

6. If your car needs to be disposed of, it needs to be taken to a junk yard, and they will charge around 100,000 yen, close to $1000.00, to take that off of your hands. So, I wouldn't even consider buying a car, unless you plan on keeping it for a long time.

Some people out there may try to tell you:

Hey, it's an American style Apartment, so throw your trash away like you do back in the States.

That won't work over here, at least not where we are living at off-base. We've only been back for close to two months, and we've seen two families kicked out of our complex, for doing just that. And they were local nationals.

NBTP

[Muku]

That won't work over here, at least not where we are living at off-base. We've only been back for close to two months, and we've seen two families kicked out of our complex, for doing just that. And they were local nationals.
Is there any other kind?:eek:

[htran804's slave]

Single may not be the right expression so I'll include married with no kids. Looking for housing is just different when your single and on base is not an option, single officer housing is a hotel room and you never feel like you leave work (total sympathy for what the Es put up with). I'm a Marine, going to Futenma and have 1 or 2 guys who would like to do a roommate thing. We'll all be on separate det skeds so we'll never be home at the same time. I'd like to live close to the water/surf and walking distance to a neighborhood watering hole. No offense to parents but I'd prefer not to live in a building surrounded by kids, little dudes are loud and don't sleep. I don't know how you do it, I like 'em as long as their parents pick them up:D. That's the perspective I'm looking for thanks for all the good replies, you guys rule:thumbup1:.

GBR!

Married w/ no kids here. I wasn't given the option to live on-base because I was married but my wife hadn't got to the island yet. There are definitely places out there where you won't have to worry about families bothering you. That was one of my requirements when I had to find a place to stay.

Living close to the waters is not a problem. Seaside Housing (first one that comes to mind) has some VERY nice and NEW 3 story townhomes for about 155,000 yen (married E-3 max OHA). First floor is a garage...1 and 1/2 car I suppose...2nd floor is the kitchen/living room, and 3rd floor is the bedrooms. An ex-AF finance guy works there so you can definitely feel comfortable talking to him. Keep in mind that all off-base housing agencies will know how much your max OHA will be once you give them your rank. And the beach is within walking distance.

If you are splitting the rent with 2 other Marines (I assume) find out what their max OHA is and get the nicest place you can find. I'm sure you'll have no problems finding a super nice place to stay anywhere on the island with that kind of money.

[FDokinawa]

I love how a lot of the military that lives off base seems to live in Sunabe..

My place, I might see a Y plate once a week..

[Asshat]

I love how a lot of the military that lives off base seems to live in Sunabe..

My place, I might see a Y plate once a week..

Sunabe is a very happening place. Think about it. In any western country, living in that proxemity to the ocean, shops, food, etc, and being within 15 minutes to work would cost what?

If you see one Y plate a week, you must live N of Onna, and West, or South of Yonabaru. Someone have you working sato kibii when you aren't working your day job? :barf:

As far as recycling, it depends "greatly" on if you are being picked up by a contracted trash agency or a government one. If you "rate" housing, don't worry, because housing office gives a two-hour brief on how to dump your trash. :-|

[Bones]

As posted by Muku:

Is there any other kind?:eek:

Perhaps you've missed the point that I was trying to make Muku, which was if you disobey the trash rules, you may be kicked out of your apartment.

My use of the term "local nationals", as it applies to what I've posted, was not meant to be viewed as racial. Maybe it was, but only in the way as it relates to the recycling program over here.

As strict as the new regulations are, and we applaud them, moving into a new residence and throwing your trash away like you did wherever you came from, just won't cut it over here these days.

If someone moves over here from another country, and they say "I didn't know", that only works once, or perhaps twice. And if they don't follow the guidelines, they'll need to find another place to live.

And it doesn't matter where they came from.

NBTP

[Muku]

As posted by Muku:



Perhaps you've missed the point that I was trying to make Muku, which was if you disobey the trash rules, you may be kicked out of your apartment.

My use of the term "local nationals", as it applies to what I've posted, was not meant to be viewed as racial. Maybe it was, but only in the way as it relates to the recycling program over here.

As strict as the new regulations are, and we applaud them, moving into a new residence and throwing your trash away like you did wherever you came from, just won't cut it over here these days.

If someone moves over here from another country, and they say "I didn't know", that only works once, or perhaps twice. And if they don't follow the guidelines, they'll need to find another place to live.

And it doesn't matter where they came from.

NBTP
No I didnt miss the point, I just have this "thing" about the term "local nationals" that's all. Sorry about that.

[P_chan]

Perhaps you've missed the point that I was trying to make Muku, which was if you disobey the trash rules, you may be kicked out of your apartment.

LOL really they kick you out? I thought that too before I moved into my apartment. Now I see all the trash my neighbors leave out (like bikes, carpets, broken glass end tables, etc...) and I laugh once I hear people say that.

Of course I still take out my trash the correct way. But I think all 13 other apartments in my complex don't.

[socalheart]

Sometimes, it's hard to trace where the trash comes from in an apt bldg. If there's no one to blame, there's no one to evict. :shrug:

[DoctorP]

Sometimes, it's hard to trace where the trash comes from in an apt bldg. If there's no one to blame, there's no one to evict. :shrug:

Not for the trash that is in bags...they go through it and pull out anything with your name on it. Phone bill, electric bill, bank statment...but large items, yeah it's hard to pin those down unless they saw you put it out there.

[okiprince07]

the onlty bad thing about moving off base versus on-base is you have to pull out the 3-4grand to start the house. i pulled 3600 but i am banking on som eutilities so that should pay for th emonthly cost for the loan to start...it is nicer out in town too, no military people breathing down your neck, got some freedom at elast and also i have never understood why people live on base when they go overseas...isnt the reason you picked overseas tour? move off base and really experience the culture and atmosphere of japan. On base is basically america, but smaller...

[wmeier5]

:w00t:Oh, and there are places that you can rent month to month. I stayed in the one of them when I first got here since billeting was full, and it wasn't bad. It was fully furnished, and everything was paid for except electricity.

Pro's:
* no security deposit
* no agency fee
* month to month lease instead of the 6month to 1year leases
* plenty of parking (just a big parking lot)
* furnished w/ appliances
* internet is included
* phone is included (but you pay for the usage. I think its per minute, but I've never used it).
* was within my jr. enlisted max allowance

This is excellent information for me. I am DoD contractor coming in Feb, but my family (wife and daughter) will not arrive until August. I think I will just live month-to-month in the small two-bedroom. Is that less expensive than a hotel???

Are there Hotels near the USMC camps? I will be working on Butler, Foster, and the others.

Ciao,:w00t:

[htran804's slave]

:w00t:

This is excellent information for me. I am DoD contractor coming in Feb, but my family (wife and daughter) will not arrive until August. I think I will just live month-to-month in the small two-bedroom. Is that less expensive than a hotel???

Are there Hotels near the USMC camps? I will be working on Butler, Foster, and the others.

Ciao,:w00t:

The 2 places that I mentioned are closest to Kadena, and not too far away from Camp Foster. I don't know where Butler and any of the other camps are besides Camp Kinser (which is closest to Naha airport).

The hotel was about 11,000 yen per day vs. 140,000 yen per month for the month - to - month apartment. I would definitely recommend the apartment at Hamagawa. Its got plenty of space for a single person, and its fully furnished. Only thing you have to pay for is electricity and local phone usage. The hotel side of things was way more than I needed (3 huge bedrooms, plus a huge living room area).

NOTE: I've never been to Eagle lodge, but I have known others that have lived in their month-to-month apartments for over a year. They had no complaints. I just think the area that surrounds Hamagawa Lodge is much nicer, and within a 15 minute walk to American Village. The only other thing I didn't like was the lack of a dryer even though they provide a washer. It wasn't bad for me since I only did laundry once a week. I'd just take it to base and use the laundry place near the Main Street food court.

[htran804's slave]

... and also i have never understood why people live on base when they go overseas...isnt the reason you picked overseas tour? move off base and really experience the culture and atmosphere of japan. On base is basically america, but smaller...

It isn't always their choice to go overseas. There are plenty of military members that did not want to come to Okinawa at all.

[ryukyuboi]

And, sometimes living on base in just a matter of convenience - closer to work, or the on base activities for kids, for example. It is not like you can't get off base most anytime you wish to do whatever.

[Muku]

The hotel was about 110,000 yen per day vs. 140,000 yen per month for the month - to - month

Were you paying $1,000.00 per day?:-| Wow, never met anyone here before that was "that" rich.

Is it possible that there is one zero too many here and it should be read 11,000 per day?

[htran804's slave]

Were you paying $1,000.00 per day?:-| Wow, never met anyone here before that was "that" rich.

Is it possible that there is one zero too many here and it should be read 11,000 per day?

Sorry I fat-fingered that. It was 11,000 yen per day :thumbup1:

[emzeedotes]

Here (http://www.okinawahai.com/my_weblog/to_live_offbase_housing/index.html) are some pictures and descriptions of off-base housing.