Corporate Housing and the Military

Military personnel and government employees often face unique housing challenges not faced by most private sector workers. When military service members go on temporary duty or a federal employee is sent on assignment, they often have several choices for where they and their family will stay while deployed in their new home cities.

Over our 30-year history, we’ve found corporate housing to be an excellent option for military personnel and those federal workers who are away from home. With the numerous advantages corporate housing provides these government workers, who are often away from home for extended times, over other temporary housing options, it’s no wonder so many choose to stay with a corporate housing provider.

Let’s take a look at the top 4 aspects of corporate housing that bring back military personnel time after time.

 

1. Room to Live

One of the greatest advantages corporate housing provides over other long-term housing options is the living space of the corporate apartments.

Whereas guests may find themselves in a one- or two-room area when staying with another long-term temporary housing option. These smaller rooms are often less than 400 square foot, with all of the guests’ living necessities fit into the space.

Corporate apartments offer, on average, over 750 square foot of living space with many apartments being much larger.

These apartments, rather than having all of the facilities of a home in one room, offer separate rooms for each function, just like the home guests are used to. For those military personnel who are away on duty for extended periods of time, having the normalcy of a real home can make all the difference.

Long-term guests notice this difference the most in the kitchen and the bedroom. While smaller spaces offer a kitchenette that includes smaller appliances, the kitchens in corporate apartments are a separate, full-size space complete with full-size appliances.

The bedrooms are also separate spaces in corporate apartments, allowing added privacy and a great sense of homeliness not found in other housing options.

 

2. In-Home Laundry 

Another unique feature of corporate housing that guests enjoy is the in-unit washer-dryer combo. While this may not seem like a big difference, for travelers staying long periods, they will typically need to do at least eight loads of laundry every 30 days.

In a corporate apartment, doing your laundry is as simple as opening the door to the laundry room and putting the load in. Other housing options, unfortunately, don’t offer this same level of convenience to military travelers.

When staying in an extended-stay or traditional hotel,for example, guests will usually need to take their clothing to a communal room, shared by all residents in the building. This setup offers less security, as your items are accessible to everyone staying in the building.

Staying in on-base barracks offers a similar set up to hotels, but also provides the security of fewer people in one building. This by no means makes the task easier, however, as the U.S. Merchant Marine Academy goes so far as to describe doing laundry in the barracks as a “teamwork exercise” due to the lack of facilities available to you and your bunkmates.

Other residents will sometimes move your laundry from the machines to access them for their own garments, so you’ll either need to time your visits to the laundry room, or wait there for your load to finish if you don’t want someone else handling your clothes.

If you’re not there in time for your load to finish, you could find yourself with a pile of wrinkled uniforms that you’ll need to iron by hand or run through the dryer again.

 

3. Simplicity

As a member of the military, you know there are a million things on your mind at any given moment. Why add more stressors to your life if you don’t have to?

Relocating is stressful enough. Corporate housing providers help simplify your relocation in several areas.

 

Billing

One amazing advantage of corporate housing for military personnel is the simple billing process offered by industry providers.

Other off-base housing options come with a variety of billing styles. When renting or purchasing a home, you’ll often face a multitude of bills every month that you’ll need to pay individually.

These may include:
• Rent or Mortgage
• Furniture rental
• Housewares rental
• Electronics rental
• Electricity
• Water and Sewage
• Trash Service
• Internet
• Cable

While there are options to automatically transfer the necessary funds directly from your bank account, this process varies city by city and can be a hassle if you don’t have time to visit the City Hall in person during business hours if your new city requires it.

You may also find you don’t want to deal with setting up each utility individually, which can take hours of your time.

Corporate housing providers offer one invoice per month for everything included in the apartment.

House Hunting

When moving to a new city, it can be difficult to find an off-base home close to everything you need. If you’re relocating your family, you’ll not only want to be close to base, but you’ll also likely be looking for a good school district, as well as hunting for amenities to help you and your family enjoy your new home.

This can be difficult for newcomers to the area, but corporate housing providers can help take the stress out of finding the right location.

When searching for a corporate apartment in your new city, a local corporate housing provider can recommend apartments in certain areas based on your needs. Whether you’re looking for a quiet suburban neighborhood or the hottest entertainment district in the city, corporate housing providers offer temporary homes in all parts of town so you can be close to what’s important to you.

Corporate apartments are a great way to test the waters in your new city so you can find exactly where you want to be without making a long-term commitment to a home or area.

 

4. Move-In Ready

Unless you’re staying in a hotel or in the barracks, chances are you’ll need to find furnishings for your home when you arrive in town, or you’ll need to have moved your furnishings with you from your last station.

Finding furnishings for your whole home on your day of arrival can be a daunting (and expensive) task, and finding a reliable, licensed interstate moving company can be just as difficult on you and your wallet.

Staying at a hotel or corporate apartment can alleviate these issues, however, as both options come fully-furnished with all of the furniture and housewares you need to enjoy your temporary home.

When you walk into the front foyer or living room of your corporate apartment, you can immediately put your clothes away on the provided hangers in your bedroom closet, make yourself a meal and sit down to browse Netflix on your Smart TV. No hassle!

 

It’s the Personal Touches

If your TDY or new assignment leads you to the Midwest, you know Viciniti can offer you the personalized service you need to find the best temporary home for you and your family.

Serving 15 of the largest cities throughout the region from 11 local offices, we work, play, and live in your new hometowns. This gives us the ability to perfectly tailor your choice in temporary homes to your needs, down to the finest detail.

Want to learn more about corporate housing? Visit our Blog or choose one of the articles below for more information!