Family Housing If you plan to live in on-post family housing or rent a house off post, you must come to the Housing Services Office during in-processing. All housing services are located at Carr Hall, Bldg. 45 Barry Ave., on Historic Main Post. You can call reach the Housing Services Office at 785-239-3525, DSN 856-3525, or toll free at (800) 643-8991.
On July 1, 2006, the Army transferred responsibility for all on post family housing at Fort Riley to Picerne Military Housing. As the Army's privatization partner for family housing, Picerne owns, manages and maintains all homes on post. Picerne also maintains all waiting lists for Fort Riley on-post housing. You can reach Picerne's Relocation Office at 785-717-2258. For additional information on Picerne Military Housing go to
http://www.rileypicerne.com.
Housing ApplicationIn order to complete your housing application and be placed on Fort Riley's waiting list, you must:
(1) clear/ sign out of your current duty location and
(2) visit the Picerne Military Housing Relocation Office, located at Carr Hall, upon your arrival to Fort Riley.
You must apply for on-post housing within 30 days from the date you signed into Fort Riley to receive credit on a waiting list for the date you cleared your last permanent duty station. If your application is made after 30 days, your eligibility date will be the date of your application. When applying for housing, you will be placed on just one waiting list. You have 30 days to change your mind and switch to another waiting list and still retain your same eligibility date.
Keep Us InformedIt is important to keep Picerne Military Housing's Relocation Office informed of any changes in the telephone number where you are to be contacted and the number of your unit at Fort Riley (if assigned). When called for an offer of family housing, if this information is not correct and you cannot be located, your name will be bypassed or removed from the waiting list. Picerne's fax number is 785-717-2267 or 785-717-2209. If you have any questions, call the Relocation Office at 785-717-2258.
New HomesPicerne Military Housing is in the process of renovating more than 1,300 existing homes, in addition to the improvements being made between occupants. The most visible sign of progress in family housing is the new construction taking place in the post's Forsyth Neighborhood. Picerne oversaw construction of 14 new homes in 2007 and an additional 188 in 2008.
The 12 families of company grade officers began moving into the new neighborhood in November 2008 and 37 company grade officer homes are scheduled to be built in 2009. By summer 2009, there will be approximately 350 new homes in the Forsyth Neighborhood.
Neighborhood Centers: In addition to the new homes, Forsyth will host Fort Riley's first state-of-the-art neighborhood center, opening in 2009. This facility will be approximately 13,000 square feet. It will offer a half-court gymnasium, fitness room, media room, locker rooms, kitchen and meeting space. There will also be a full-size outdoor swimming pool.
The Forsyth Neighborhood Center will be available to all on-post residents. In addition to the recreation space available, Forsyth and Colyer Manor residents will be able to visit their neighborhood office staff. Site development and planning for the Fort Riley's second neighborhood center is also underway in the McClellan Place Neighborhood. That facility should be completed in 2010.
Required DocumentsSpouses may sign for and terminate housing on the sponsor's behalf. However, the spouse will need a Special Power of Attorney from the sponsor in order to start the Basic Allowance for Housing allotment and arrange for the movement of household goods.
You will be required to provide the following documentation:
• Proof of dependency\DD Form 93 - Record of Emergency Data Card
• DA Form 31 - Leave Form
• Copies of your orders with any amendments assigning you to Fort Riley.
If there are stepchildren or children from a previous marriage, provide court order documents indicating custody of the children. You must have custody of a child more than 6 months of the year in order for that child to have a bedroom requirement.
When applying for housing with an additional bedroom requirement due to pregnancy, you must provide a signed statement from a doctor verifying the pregnancy. If you are returning from a dependant-restricted tour, you must provide a copy of your orders assigning you to that dependant-restricted tour.
Housing Waiting Lists
Personnel arriving at Fort Riley are not normally assigned immediately to on-post family housing. Instead, they are placed on a waiting list until on-post housing is available. The Housing Services Office assists families in locating a suitable off-post residence until on-post housing becomes available. You must process through the off-post HSO prior to entering a rental agreement off-post. Specific information can be obtained by calling 785-239-3525.
The amount of waiting time for assignment to family housing varies by rank and bedroom requirements. These waiting times are estimated and subject to change. Waiting lists are maintained in a computer program to ensure maximum efficiency and fairness for all applicants. There are several factors that affect the waiting time:
• Number of Soldiers clearing family housing due to PCS or ETS
• Number of Soldiers retaining their homes
• Number of Soldiers reporting to Fort Riley from dependant-restricted tours
• Number of Soldiers on the waiting list being bypassed due to lease obligations,
• TDY or other justified reasons.
Waiting times may vary from 1 to 18 months, depending on the category. You should talk directly with one of Picerne's Relocation Specialists in Carr Hall concerning your wait time.
It is important to know that your position on the waiting list is determined by your eligibility date, not the date you arrive at Fort Riley. Eligibility dates are established in accordance with AR 210-50, and are normally the date you left your last duty station if it was an accompanied tour. You can check the estimated wait times and your position on the waiting list at any time by going to: www.rileypicerne.com.
Housing Services Office (HSO)HSO provides off-post housing referral services to families and single Soldiers and on-post housing to bona fide bachelor officers and Senior NCOs. The Fort Riley Housing Services Office has an internet-based housing referral system to overcome housing problems. The Automated Housing Referral Network is a nationwide, joint service, DoD-sponsored Web site that offers a single source of available housing to incoming military and their families.
AHRN.com directly connects Service members with local property managers via the internet, often facilitating a door-to-door move that saves time, expenses and headaches. With the internet, incoming military and families are able to reach out from anywhere and get an updated list of available housing from a much larger pool of diverse properties that will be available upon their arrival.
The idea behind AHRN.com is simple: free of charge, local property managers and military register their available properties on the site, often several months before the property will be available. These properties are then easily visible to incoming personnel when they search the site for available housing. For more detailed information about the local AHRN.com Web site, contact the Housing Services Office at 800-643-8991.
Off-Post HousingAll Soldiers new to Fort Riley are required to go to the Housing Services Office located at Carr Hall on Main Post. For information on off-post housing, contact the Housing Services Office at 785-239-3525 or 1-800- 643-8991. Office hours are Monday-Friday, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. The office is open during lunch. Referrals are made by the Housing Office to ensure the health, safety and morale of the Soldiers and their families who are, or will be, living in the dwelling unit. Guidelines come from AR 210-50, City and State Ordinances.
Unaccompanied Personnel HousingBachelor Officer Quarters are available for bona fide bachelors in the Main Post area.
Senior Bachelor Enlisted Quarters are available for noncommissioned officer bona fide bachelors in grades E-6 and above, and are located on Main Post. "Bona Fide Bachelors" are Soldiers entitled to BAH at the "Without Dependants" rate.
"Geographic Bachelors" are Soldiers entitled to BAH at the "With Dependants" rate, but not accompanied by their family members. Geographic Bachelors are not authorized to reside in the BOQ or SBEQ.
All personnel interested bona fide bachelor officers and senior NCOs housing must report to the Housing Services Office for application and assignments. Call 785-239-3525, DSN 856-3525, or 1-800-643-8991.
Renting in the Local AreaYour point of contact for any questions you may have concerning off-post housing is the Housing Services Office located at Carr Hall on Main Post. For information regarding off-post housing, contact the Housing Services Office at 785-239-3525 or 1-800-643-8991. Office hours are Monday-Friday, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.
The following information is to assist military families who will be renting a home in the off-post communities surrounding Fort Riley:
• Any rental unit must be approved by Housing Services Office prior to occupancy by a military family. The unit must pass either the City Inspection or the Housing Services Office Health and Safety inspection.
• Ensure the lease contains a written military clause that would enable you to terminate your lease in the event that you receive Permanent Change of Duty Station (PCS) orders or deployment orders longer than 90 days. Otherwise, you would be liable for the remainder of the rent due until the end of your lease.
• Caution: The military clause does not cover ETS or acceptance of government quarters. Accepting government quarters is not justification to break a lease or rental agreement.
• When you are considering potential rental units, do not allow yourself to be rushed; inspect thoroughly and ask plenty of questions.
• Determine the total amount you will be required to pay for rent and deposits, to include deposits on utilities and for security and cleaning. Most landlords require a cleaning/damage deposit equal to one month's rent. You will also be required to pay the first month's rent in advance. Will you be required to pay utilities? If so, how much?
• If you plan to get a pet, be sure you will be allowed to keep it at the place you rent. Most facilities in the area do not allow pets. Others will allow you to have a pet, but will require a separate deposit for your pet not to exceed one-half of a month's rent.
• Be sure you read all documents that you sign very carefully. Remember, once you have signed the lease, you have entered into a legal contract. The landlord is the only one who can let you out of the lease unless the landlord is negligent in his part of the contract. Verbal agreements will not stand up in court. All agreements must be written and acknowledged by both parties.
• To protect yourself, as well as the landlord, together you should perform a walk-through of the property upon move-in and again when you move out. This needs to be signed by both parties and each should get a copy of the agreement.
• Get a receipt for all money paid with each item listed separately. Make sure you get a copy of the rental agreement and anything else you might have signed.
• Renter's insurance should be carefully considered. Should your household items be damaged or lost due to a fire, burglary, flood, broken pipes, etc., items lost would be replaced at your expense unless you have renter's insurance. Also, under certain conditions, you may be liable for property belonging to the landlord, including the building and its contents.
Delivery of Household GoodsWe want to provide you and your family the best possible service and keep your property out of storage in- transit. Avoiding storage-in-transit will eliminate the possibility of damage to your property from the extra handling.
Upon arrival of your property, personal property personnel have as little as two hours to instruct the carrier to deliver the shipment to your residence, or place it into storage-in-transit. When we are unaware of your plans and cannot contact you, we must place your shipment in storage-in-transit.
A shipment placed into storage-in-transit during the period May through September can require a minimum of 7-10 working days (from date of request) for the carrier to make local delivery to your residence. If not prepared, this could cause you personal/ financial hardship.
Pet Policy
Fort Riley's pet policy aligns with the Department of the Army standardized pet policy for privatized housing. The following breeds of dogs no longer are allowed on Fort Riley: pit bulls (American Staffordshire bull terriers or English Staffordshire bull terriers), Rottweilers, Doberman Pinschers, Chows and wolf hybrids. In addition, this prohibition is extended to other dogs that demonstrate a propensity for dominant or aggressive behavior as indicated by the following types of conduct: unprovoked barking, growling, or snarling at people approaching the animal, aggressively running along the fence line when people are present, biting or scratching people and escaping confinement or restriction to chase people.
If you need to check to see if your pet falls under the banned pet category, or to register your pet, please see the Veterinary Services section found on page XX
Advance Payment of Base Pay
How To Get An Advance PayAdvance pays are not a PCS entitlement. Advance pays are a tool to help you offset costs directly related to your PCS move. Advance payments are not approved for such costs as vacations, purchasing a new car, or investments. You can get up to one month's base pay, minus your deduction, at your losing station. You are eligible for up to two more advance payments at your gaining station. However, written justification must be provided detailing extremely adverse circumstances and itemized expenses to get the second or third advance. Your Advance payment will be prorated for repayment over 12 months. To apply for an advance payment, attend the Finance In- or Out- Processing brief given daily at Bldg. 210. You will fill out the required documentation, FF Form 2560, and provide a copy of your PCS orders. For grades E-1 through E-4, the unit commander must approve the application. Finance is the ultimate approving authority for all advances. If approved, payment will be sent electronically to your account. Note: Advance payments are only approved in conjunction with a PCS move. Generally, the window is 30 days prior to movement and up to 60 days after arrival.
