| OKIMAR:
Who manages Military Family Housing on Okinawa?
Why is that? |
| WAIKIKI: The Air Force manages
MFH on Okinawa. The Air Force is designated as Executive Agent by DoD. |
| OKIMAR:
Since the Air Force is in charge of all the family
housing on Okinawa, do Air Force families receive priority for getting
on-base housing on Kadena or other bases? |
| WAIKIKI: Definitely not. All
military and civilian personnel assigned to Okinawa, serving an accompanied
tour with command- sponsored dependents are placed on the waiting
list by eligibility, date, rank and where they are assigned for duty. |
| OKIMAR:
How many family housing units are available? |
| WAIKIKI:
There are 8,129 housing units. |
| OKIMAR:
How does the housing list work? What determines
a member's position on the housing list? |
| WAIKIKI:
When applying for housing, applicants who PCS
from CONUS will be placed on the appropriate waiting list the first
day of the month prior to the month the applicant departed CONUS.
The application is then aligned by rank and date of rank. Furthermore,
if you want to check your position on the waiting list, you can use the
24-hour, automated system by calling 634-0582/3. |
| OKIMAR:
What determines the type, location and size of
family housing for which a member is eligible? |
| WAIKIKI:
Housing is categorized by rank, family size and
duty location. The "live where you work" policy divides the island into
three areas: Northern, Central and Southern. As illustrated by the chart
below, each area has different housing sections within it. Eligible service-
members will be placed within one of the housing sections located in the
area in which they work. The number of bedrooms one can request is determined
by rank and number of children. |
| OKIMAR:
Is there any priority given to single parents
or dual active-duty couples? Is there any type of priority given at all? |
| WAIKIKI:
All applicants on the waiting list compete equally.
Only key, essential and approved medical and hardship cases are given priority.
They are assigned the next uncommitted unit in their appropriate category. |
| OKIMAR:
What are the current waiting times for MFH? |
| RIGGS: This
area is very difficult to pin down. So instead of giving what
was current yesterday, call the following number and get the latest real
deal scoop: Kadena Housing Marine Liasion at 634-0114. |
| OKIMAR: Once
a member is notified base housing is available, how long do they have to
move in? |
| WAIKIKI:
Applicants are given at least 30 days notice of
assignment. A firm move-in date will be given with at least 14 days notice.
The majority of landlords on Okinawa require 14 days notice of intent to
vacate. |
| OKIMAR:
What is the policy for refusing a housing unit? |
| WAIKIKI:
All applicants are authorized one turn-down option.
If the applicant refuses the second offer, he/she is removed from the waiting
list and may reapply after 90 days. Key and essential personnel and approved
medical or hardship cases are not authorized a turn-down option. |
| OKIMAR: Are servicemembers required
move on base once family housing is available or can they remain in their
rental home? |
| WAIKIKI:
They can remain in their rental home. |
| OKIMAR:
In the United States, once we are assigned to
a duty station, we show up and are expected to find a home to live in,
off-base, on our own. Why are we required to rent only the homes that you
have approved instead of any home that we choose? |
| WAIKIKI:
In order for you to receive your Overseas Housing
Allowance (OHA), we are required to perform an inspection to ensure that
the off-base unit has met required standards, such as private bathroom
facilities, and space and electrical hook-up availabilities for a range,
refrigerator, washer and dryer. In addition, kitchen cabinets, hot water,
clean running water, parking space solely for your use, a fire alarm, etc.,
must all be available. Living standards and conditions in foreign countries
are not always comparable to what we enjoy in the U.S. The government is
providing funds for servicemembers and their families and it must be assured
that the rental has met the required standards. |
| OKIMAR:
What percent of members on command-sponsored tours
are afforded base housing? |
| WAIKIKI:
Approximately 10,000 families desire government
quarters. Our 8,129 housing units cover about 80 percent of eligible families. |
| OKIMAR:
If a servicemember receives a tour conversion,
meaning he/she was on an unaccompanied tour and is now on a command-sponsored
tour, what determines the date of their housing application for waiting
list purposes? |
| WAIKIKI:
If a servicemember completes 12 months of an unaccompanied
(dependents-restricted) short tour and converts to a command-sponsored
tour, the effective date of application will be the date departed CONUS,
not to exceed 12 months and without bypassing applicants in the top 10
percent freeze zone. |
| OKIMAR:
When an active-duty couple marries or a single
servicemember acquires a dependent, they rate to live off-base receiving
OHA. Off-base rental companies have been informed they do not have to provide
certain appliances such as refrigerators and stoves because they will be
provided to the servicemember by the military; however, housing usually
denies such requests for appliances because they servicemembers are not
command- sponsored. Is this normal policy? |
| WAIKIKI:
Servicemembers married to military members stationed
on Okinawa are authorized government furnishings and appliances off-base
as a family requirement. Servicemembers acquiring a dependent must gain
command sponsorship. |
| OKIMAR:
How do you notify families of the routine maintenance
that is being scheduled for their homes? |
| WAIKIKI:
Letters are posted on the doors of each unit.
Normal service calls are handled by appointments. Power outages and such
are normally broadcast on FEN radio and television. |
| OKIMAR:
Do you conduct inspections of the homes for health,
cleanliness or yard maintenance? |
| WAIKIKI:
A complete three-day renovation and cleaning is
done on each unit before it is re-occupied. After a unit is occupied, cleanliness
inspections will only be conducted if a complaint is filed. Yard inspections
are conducted routinely (except during the summer months when our greatest
movement of families occur). We have so many families moving in and out
of housing, it's impossible to do all of the yard inspections because our
inspectors are busy with pre-inspections, final inspections and assignments
to quarters. |
| OKIMAR:
What can a resident do if a neighbor has refused
to keep their yard or home clean and maintained? |
| WAIKIKI:
Notify the housing office. Let's keep in mind
that we should all practice good neighborly conduct and realize not everyone's
standards of yard and home maintenance are the same. When you are assigned
to your housing unit, you are given information concerning your yard and
your home. If they are followed you should be OK. |
| OKIMAR:
Can we cut down bushes or plants that block sidewalks
in the neighborhood? Whose responsibility is this? |
| WAIKIKI:
Residents should trim bushes and plants in their
area of responsibility. Bushes and plants in common areas are maintained
by contract. Should there be a problem, please call us. |
| OKIMAR: In
the middle of summer, many families will experience periods when the air
conditioner in their home will not work. What can be done to assist
them? If the repairs take more than 24 hours, are residents expected to
just sweat it out, or do you provide them with air conditioners? |
| WAIKIKI:
Air conditioner repair is considered URGENT and
will be repaired as soon as humanly possible. The norm is usually three
to five days, however, realizing how unbearable it can get, we obtain extra
help and air conditioning is restored in one to two days. Unfortunately,
we do not provide back-up air conditioners. |
|
I
want to thank the Marine Corps Base web site, Ms. Lani Waikiki and the
OkiMar Newspaper for the following information on Okinawa housing.
Since this article sums up the real deal on Okinawa housing, I saw no reason
to mess with success.