About Housing at Grafenwoehr

Housing Service Office, Tower Barracks

Bldg 244

DSN: 475-7091

Civ: 09641-83-7091

Int: +49-9641-83-7091

Hours:

Mon - Thu 0800-1130 and 1300-1530
Fri 0800-1130 and 1300-1430

The housing office is easy to find. It is in the same building, 244, where your service member (SM) signed into when you arrived via the S-bus.  It is on the first floor to the left. There will be signs.

During their first day of in-processing they will get a brief from housing and fill out information for housing.  If you already emailed your housing application in advance then they will have you in the system already.  Once your SM has filled out the information you are free to meet with the housing representatives. I found them to be very helpful and kind.



Trust me on this. They know we are all burned out, jet lagged and just want to crawl into bed. They understand. They are here to help us find an appropriate house that will work for each of our unique situations. Yes, they will take into account any specifics you may have such as handicap access, etc.  However, with that said, they are not magicians and can only work with what is available to them. Be patient, be specific on your needs, and work with them.  It is not unusual to have a wait of 4-6 weeks for a house. Others may get a house the same day.

The housing office has a lot of information out there to answer your questions. Below are some links for you to follow:

• Housing FAQ's
• Housing Information
• Important Numbers for Leased Housing Occupants
• Finding A Place To Call Home

Where will you live:
It just depends on your family composition, houses available, rank, etc. In accordance with USAREUR Policy Letter dated 8 March 2010, subject; Revised Housing Policy for U.S. Army Europe is:

• 100 % E1-E6 will be required to live on post,
• 100 % of K&E personnel will be required to live on post,
• 10 % E7 & above are required to live on post government. 

In short, if you are E7 and above, plan on living off post in either Government-controlled off-post housing or a private rental.

There are four places where you will be housed:

• Government on-post (see above note)
• Government-controlled off-post (up to 35-minutes away)
• Private rental
• Unaccompanied Personnel Housing on-post

Government on-post 

Below is a link showing you the housing on post. It looks really nice. 

• Housing on post

Government-controlled off-post 

There are about 28 different communities where government controlled off-post housing is located. The furthest drive should be 35 minutes away. Please be aware this does not take into account any time for traffic at the gate, weather, etc. Please plan accordingly.  Also, unless you shipped your vehicle early and it is waiting for you, then you will be without a car for a while.  If you planned on buying a second vehicle while here then your time in the hotel waiting for housing is a great time to shop around.  You also want to wait for your unaccompanied shipment to arrive so it can be delivered to your new place.  Just be patient while you are in your hotel.  

It appears, and I am not certain, that when you are housed in the community in government controlled housing your neighbors will be Americans as well. Although you will have German neighbors as well. 

Once a house is available for you, you will be contacted at the number you left with housing. We gave them our hotel number since we didn't have cell phones yet.  After they get a hold of you, they will set up a time for you to get to housing and pick up a key and directions to your possible new home. Your sponsor plays a role here in helping you get to your house. You will have a set time to return the key in. After you check out the key you will have 24-hours to let them know if you want the house or not.  Assuming you want the house, you will go back to housing, give them back the key and do some final paperwork which will include a move in date. At this time your helpful housing assistant will also set up loaner furniture to be delivered for you.   I will write up a post on loaner furniture once we receive ours and I have more detailed, personal experience. 

The nice thing about living in government controlled off-post housing is you won't get a utilities allowance, but then again you won't be paying your utilities. The government will handle all your water and electricity, etc. They will cover all of this with you depending on the house. 

Now, something you need to be aware of....  The condition you see your house in is likely the condition it will be in when you take possession. This is not a bad thing, you just need to be aware of it. You may need to clean your carpets, and you may need to do touch up on the walls as well. I hear the housing section is out of money. But, don't stress it too much. The house I looked at was clean. Yes I want to clean my carpets and I will probably paint a wall or two. Maybe not. Magic Erasers do wonders. I was just happy to have a house.  I am going to check and see if self help has carpet cleaners and paint. They just might. I wanted to tell you so that you didn't freak out when they told you this. Remember, you are probably going to be saving money by not paying utilities.  Of course, just like everywhere, you are going to pay for your cable TV, Internet and phones.  

Private Rentals: 

If you want to look at private rentals prior to arriving I found the following places:

AHRN

Bookoo Grafenwoehr

Please note that you need to talk with housing prior to obtaining private rental. Some places have Realtor fees that can be quite expensive!  If you have to do private rental the housing office will help you through the process. 

Move In Housing Allowance:

The Move-In Housing Allowance is a lump sum flat rate that you will receive upon moving in

to a new off-post house. This allowance helps offset expenses incurred when first setting

up your household, such as cable, phone, etc.