Military Housing Options

There are three types of housing for military families to choose from: on or off base government owned military family housing, privatized housing, and private sector housing in the community. About 22 percent of military families live in DoD housing on or off base. However, this housing does not give the service member any choice in terms of size, location, or quality. It is assigned based on the size of the family.

Approximately 7 percent of military families live off base in rental housing developed with private sector developers through the Military Housing Private Initiative. Rent for this housing is connected to the housing allowance rates, which allows the family to live almost rent free. Service members who choose this option often pay rent that is equal to or close to the amount of their basic allowance for housing.

Almost 70 percent of military families choose the private sector of housing and become renters or homeowners. 32 percent rent and 38 percent own their homes. Affordability and value appreciation are important for military homeowners because of the short time before they move. Some ways to build equity are choosing a short amortization period, applying additional payments to the principal, making property improvements that add value, increasing the amount of the down payment, or paying cash. Other important factors when choosing a home include: being close or far away from the military community, quality of residence and flexibility, quality of the neighborhood, quality of the schools, and commute time. For more information about these factors, please see our helpful links page. There you can find links with detailed information about Colorado Springs.