Housing

Military Family Housing (MFH) at the Yokosuka and Ikego Hills areas total 2,564 homes and apartments. They all differ widely in age, construction, and layout.  MFH is either recently constructed modern town houses and high rise apartments, or quarters built by the Japanese Government during 1946-1947 that are structurally sound which have been renovated over the years. Kitchen and bathroom areas are small, and closet space is limited.

All MFH units are furnished with household appliances such as refrigerator, electric cooking stove, microwave oven, washer, dryer and dishwasher. Accordingly, it is suggested not to bring your own appliances with your household goods.

There are no basements or usable attics in family housing but all MFH has air conditioning and heating. Although government quarters are not luxurious, they provide comfortable living environment.

For more information about on base housing, please go to the website.

Single Service Members may be eligible for different types of government housing. The Combined Bachelors Quarters and the Homeport Ashore Program.

Attend a housing brief for all personnel (military and civilian) held daily 8:00am, Monday through Friday in the Yokosuka Housing Welcome Center (building 1441) located right next to the Navy Lodge. (Note: There is no housing brief on the first Wednesday of the month or on holidays.)

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Families with dogs may be assigned to townhouses and first and second floor units in towers. Small pets (e.g., no more than two cats (spayed or neutered), fish, gerbils, birds) may be allowed in high-rise units. All pets must be registered with the Base Veterinary Services, have proper inoculations, and be micro-chipped for identification. Documentation certifying registration and inoculations must be submitted to the Housing Welcome Center (HWC) prior to offer of assignment of Military Family Housing (MFH). Pet cats in high-rise units must be spayed or neutered. Related documentation is to be presented at the HWC prior to offer of assignment of MFH. No more than 2 pets (i.e., two cats, two dogs or one dog and one cat) are permitted in MFH. For more information, please go to their website.

All newly arriving eligible personnel will be offered the first home available in Yokosuka or Ikego based on their pay grade, bedroom entitlement and control date. The first offer of housing is based on entitlement, NOT eligibility.

Available MFH by Rank

OPNAV11101.13J states "No more than 25% of adequate MFH assets at any field activity will be designated for officers." Enlisted personnel are assigned on an equal priority basis where members compete equitably for available quarters.

Your control date for placement on the waiting list is normally your date of detachment from the previous permanent duty station. For example, if you detached from your previous permanent duty station 1 April 20XX, you will be placed on the waiting list with the control date of 1 April 20XX, provided you come to the Housing Welcome Center within 30 days of reporting to your command. If two or more sponsors on the same waiting list have the same control date, placement on the list will be based on seniority.

Base housing is not available for non- SOFA sponsored family members.

Single Service Member Housing

Central Billeting Office --The Central Billeting Office is located in the BEQ building #3333 across the street from the Personnel Support Department (PSD) building #1555. All buses from the airports stop just outside the lobby door of the PSD building. The Central Billeting Office is open 24 hours and handles all BEQ reservations and assignments. All major credit cards are accepted. The BEQ can be contacted DSN 315-243-5569 or internationally 011-81-46-816-5569 or the Department of Defense Lodging homepage.

CNFJ and CFAY are committed to improving the quality of life for Sailors by providing Bachelor Housing ashore for afloat unit E4 (under four-years of service) and below Sailors through partnerships with afloat commands. 2200 berthing spaces are available for "fair share" distribution among all Afloat units. Fair Share distribution is reviewed quarterly. Each Afloat Command defines specific requirements and assigns their own Sailors to allotted spaces. Off-Ship berthing spaces are treated as a privilege for Outstanding Sailors. Common items include:

• No NJP or adverse administrative actions within past 12 months.
• Achieved minimum Shipboard Qualifications (ie. Basic DC, etc.).
• Completed Command INDOC / Financial Counseling.
• Minimum of six months in AOR.

For more information on the "Homeport Ashore" program please contact your gaining command.

If single service members are entitled to Overseas Housing Allowance they are eligible to live in an off-base residence (furnished and/or unfurnished available) the same as the command sponsored family. See the Non-Government Housing section below for more information.

Exceptional Family Member Housing

Priority housing is only available for categories 4 and 5, EFMP families in that category normally do not pass the Overseas Screening process to come to Yokosuka. Categories 1-3 compete equally for MFH based on rate and family composition.

If you have specific questions please contact the Housing Welcome Center, DSN 315-243- 9037 or internationally at 011-81-46- 9037 or you may visit their website.

As discussed in the Financial Assistance section, moving into nongovernment housing can be costly. Planning and budgeting ahead of time is key when deciding to live on the Japanese community. Any reassignment to an overseas duty station can be expensive, but with initial housing expenses ranging from $4,000-$10,000, Yokosuka is near the top of the list. Military personnel can request an Advance Housing Allowance through their command. Advanced Housing Allowance is authorized to cover the entire move-in cost, which may include:

• First month's rent
• Security deposit
• Agent’s fee (a fixed, one-time, nonrefundable charge)
• Owner's bonus (a fixed, one-time, nonrefundable charge)

There are many agents ready to assist you in finding a home within your price range, whether you're an E-9 with four family members or a single E-5. The Housing Office has books of houses and units available, along with their agents. The agents can negotiate with the owners of units you're interested in to meet your needs at an acceptable price.

There are many homes available, but keep in mind this is Japan: Many places are western style but it's not America. Some of the most common complaints are:

• Lack of closets or storage (an average two-bedroom apartment is about 850 square feet
• Small rooms
• Virtually no yard space
• Closeness to neighboring units
• Lack of insulation, which causes difficulties in heating and cooling
• A proclivity to mildew
• Lack of parking

These complaints are often heard, but many houses suffer from either none or just a few of these problems. It may take you some time to find exactly what you are looking for; sometimes you may have to compromise on your ideal home. Looking for a house ahead of time is tricking because most of the rental information is writing in Kanji (Japanese) and impossible for most Americans to read. The Housing Office is aware of this and has bilingual agents.

Electrical power in Japanese off-base residences is only 30-50 amps at 100 volts/50 cycles. On-base quarters are also provided with 100-volt/50-cycle power, and the load is also about 30-50 amps, depending on the type of housing unit. On-base quarters have 220-volt outlets to accommodate standard American-style clothes dryers and electric ranges. Do not plan on finding Japanese quarters that will have the space for a dryer or provide a 220-volt outlet. Likewise, space restrictions preclude the installation of an American-style washing machine or a large refrigerator or deep freezer in a Japanese house.

Most U.S. appliances and other electrical equipment list a requirement for 110-120 volts/60 cycles. The difference in the locally available electrical current does not prohibit the use of many items, but anything with a timer or clock (washer, convection oven, microwave, clocks, etc.) will lose 10 seconds each minute (10 minutes per hour) and therefore will not operate properly.

Appliances or tools with motors such as vacuum cleaners or blenders will operate at a slower speed due to the 50-cycle power frequency, but will still function adequately. Use of a transformer can help to increase voltage from 100 to 110-120 volts, but it will not boost the frequency to 60 cycles.

Many electrical appliances or home electronic devices sold in the United States are equipped with a standard three-prong plug. Outlets for these types of plugs are almost never found in Japanese homes. three- to two-prong plug adaptors may be a handy item to bring with you, so you can use most of your appliances as soon as you find suitable quarters. These plug adaptors are also available on base.

Japanese homes cannot accommodate American-style electric ranges. There is neither space nor an adequate electrical supply to support this appliance. On-base quarters are supplied with full-size electric ranges and ovens. Off-base homes usually have a two- or three-burner gas range.

The good news is that Commander Fleet Activities Yokosuka Housing (self help) can provide you with Japanese appliances for your off-base rental quarters, if they have not already been installed by the house owner or landlord. If you are reading this information on a paper printout, do you have internet access or do you know someone who does? The Yokosuka CFAY Welcome Center has an extensive internet site that offers the latest regularly updated information about housing in the Yokosuka area. It includes details on how to care for a Japanese home (they're quite different from stateside homes). The periodical housing newsletter is also posted on their website.

Yokosuka has no Public-Private Venture or mobile homes available but housing does offer the Rental Partnership Program. RPP is designed to help military and Department of Defense civilian personnel and their families find affordable, secure, quality off-base rental properties. The program is available to anyone entitled to the CFAY Housing referral service, which includes a wide variety of DOD personnel and their families. Units meet all CFAY off-base housing acceptability criteria, including hot and cold running water, screens on all windows, sufficient electricity, parking and proximity to Commander, Fleet Activities, Yokosuka. If you are interested in RPP, contact the CFAY Housing Welcome Center. To see more information about RPP online, go to Community Housing (navy.mil).

For more information about off-base housing, go to Navy Housing - CFA Yokosuka.

Contact the CFAY Housing Welcome for your housing questions and needs at DSN 315-243- 9037 or internationally at 011-81-46-816-9037.

Japan has specific laws regarding Status of Forces Agreement-sponsored service members purchasing real estate in Japan. Call Legal at DSN 315-243-8901 or internationally at 011-81-46-816-8901 or go to CFAY Legal (navy.mil).

Visit InMyArea.com to search for utility providers based on your zip code. This website serves as a one-stop shop where you can explore your options, compare prices and purchase services.

Military Family Housing (MFH) is located on Yokosuka Naval Base and Ikego Housing Detachment. They all differ widely in age, construction, and layout.  Housing consists of townhomes and high rise towers. Contact the Housing Office at DSN 315-243-9037 or from the United States dial 011-81-46-816-9037.