Housing

One of your biggest worries moving overseas probably has to do with housing...at least that was mine.  It stressed me out that we didn't know where we were going to live once we arrived.  But don't worry...thousands of people have done it before and although it can take time, it will all work out.  

When you first arrive, you will be living in TLA (temporary housing) until you find a house and go through the move-in process.  As soon as you have orders to Naples, have your sponsor book you a room in TLA.  It fills up quick, and the other options (Agora Hotel) aren't nearly as convenient.  TLA was full for us, so we stayed with friends who were already stationed at Naples.  If TLA is full and you have generous friends who will take you in, this is a wonderful way to transition. (And save a little extra $$ - you don't get the full TLA allowance, but you also aren't paying for a hotel.  You get a different allowance that worked out to about $180/day for us - with one AD and 2 dependents.  But in order to do this, TLA MUST be full...you have to get a letter from them stating that they were full)  They can help answer your questions, show you around...it was great for us.  Once you finish Area Orientation (AO) you can begin your house search (although we started ours during AO...I was ready to start looking!). 

In Naples, as in all other areas where you can be stationed, you have the choice of base housing or economy housing.  There are pros and cons to both, and there are some VERY strong opinions on both sides.  Talk to a lot of people (people online, people from your future command, etc) and take all their opinions with a grain of salt, and then make the decision that's best for you.  What I would say is don't decide BEFORE you get to Naples.  Get here, go through orientation, see some houses on the outside, checkout Navy housing...then decide.  Deciding beforehand could make your route to home a bit bumpy...say you have your heart set on living on base and when you arrive it's full...you'll have to live on the outside, and you'll be upset.  There is also something called 'direct assignment'.  When housing isn't at a certain percentage of capacity, you will be automatically assigned to government housing.  It will say in your orders if you are being directly assigned.  If you live off base you are immersed more in the culture, if you live on base you have the conveniences of American living.  Both are wonderful options, it just depends on what's best for your family. 

Before I go on, a quick note about your Housing Allowance.  In the states, your allowance is a set amount.  You can live anywhere you like and if your rent is less than your allowance you pocket the difference...not so overseas.  In Naples you will be given a Housing Allowance cap (called OHA, ours was 1400 euro...I'll use it as the example) and you can select any house up to that amount...if you choose a house that is only 1200 euro you will only receive 1200 euro as your allowance.  You can't pocket the difference.  I have heard of people trying to work the system and make deals with their landlords to pocket the extra...but they have ALWAYS been caught and that can mean some pretty bad things for the service member so DON'T DO IT, it isn't worth it.  In addition to OHA you'll receive a utility allowance (ONLY if you live on the economy - ours was 900ish) every month to help with the cost of utilities because they are EXPENSIVE.  If you only spend  400 then you can pocket the difference.  In order to collect the utility allowance you need to be paying for 3 of these 5 utilities: electric, heat, a/c, water or garbage.  Also, if you choose to live on the economy you'll receive a onetime payment called MIHA (appx $1200) to help you get things you'll need for your new, difference house...like extra cabinets, rugs, light fixtures, etc. 

What made the housing decision easier to us was making a list of priorities...like proximity to base, safety, size of house, Italian/American experience, etc.   Then when you arrive and see your options, you can see how they stack up against your wish list. 

To help you get some idea of what you'll be facing and help you make your list, the following are some lists of the pros/cons of each economy and base housing.  The list is in no way complete or indicative of EVERY person's experience.  

Pros of Government Housing

Close to support site (hospital, commissary, school, NEX, movie theatre, etc)

No worries about high utility bills

Built in community feeling

No language barrier

Dual Voltage outlets

Cons of Government Housing

Air quality is bad closer to Support Site (to be fair, it is bad everywhere...but it seems to be worse up near the base)

Smaller sizes

Apartment Style (some Parcos...for Senior Enlisted and Officers)

"American Bubble"

Pros of Economy Housing

Larger than base housing

More immersion in Italian culture

Sea views are only at off base housing

Cons of Economy Housing

Cost of utilities (although you do get a utility allowance)

Longer commutes

Closets are rare

Dishwashers are rare

Power converters are needed to run appliances

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If you select military housing you'll be either put on a waiting list or shown properties that are available.  If there are open units you can move in within a couple weeks of arriving in Italy.

If you select economy housing, the first step will be to find a house.  You can make appointments through the housing office and/or go through outside realtors.  We used both - the housing office was VERY SLOW and would generally only show us 2 houses at a time.  We saw houses with four outside realtors...and boy did they run us ragged.  One day we saw seven!!   Don't feel bad using multiple sources, afterall this is YOUR home...you want to feel 100% ok with your choice. 

Once you pick your house, you'll call/visit the housing office to schedule a Pre-Contract Appointment.  At the Pre-Contract Appointment you can ask the landlords for things you want: heater, new paint, water, etc.   If you want anything THIS is the time to ask for it...once you move in you may get lucky and have a landlord willing to do upgrades, but it's rare.  Something to always consider is the power.  Most homes run on 3 kilowatt power...which is not much at all.  You won't be able to run your washer and dryer at the same time, or run your washer/dryer with any other large appliance without your power popping.  It's no big deal to re-set, but it does change how you live.  Cooking dinner and laundry cannot be done at the same time.  Consider asking your landlord to upgrade to 6 kilowatt power, there is a cost included but the upgraded power never leaves and becomes a "selling point" for them in the future. 

Following the Pre-Contract Appointment the house will be inspected.  It will fail the first one - they always do.  It's all about $$ here...and if an inspector can inspect a house twice he gets paid twice...so plan on at least one failed inspection.  You can choose to attend the inspection or not...we chose to attend ours and were very happy we did.  It gave us an opportunity to ask more questions, take measurements, etc. 

After you pass inspection you'll schedule your Final Contract appointment, where you'll be required to pay the deposit (equivalent to one month's rent...must be in euro) and you'll also arrange your move-in date, and which loaner items you'll want from housing.  After you pass inspection you can also apply for the Advance OHA.  Housing will give you the paperwork, it basically is a loan for your first month's rent and deposit.   You can pay it back over 12 or 24 months or as a balloon payment when you move out.  There is NO interest charged on the loan, it is automatically taken out of your paycheck beginning on the date of your choice. 


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Loaner Items:
There are two kinds of loaner items.  First are the temporary items.  These are loaned when you've moved into your home but your household goods haven't arrived yet.  They offer sofas, chairs, tables, lamps, beds, linnens, kitchen supplies, etc.   You will make the arrangements with housing when you do your final contract, they will deliver the items and then when your household goods get delivered you'll arrange with housing to come pick them up. There is no charge for these items.

The second kind of loaners are called Partial Full Tour Furnishings (PFTF) they include a fridge, washer & dryer, stove/oven, microwave, deep freezer (when available), a kitchen hutch, eletrical transformers (you get two), and wardrobes (one per family member...service members get two).  There is also no charge for this service.  There are options too...different sizes of appliances, fridges the open left or open right, gas/electric dryers, American/European washers.  You''ll be able to make your selections at your final contract appointment.