Housing

Located in the Mojave Desert at the edge of the Sierra Nevada mountain range, China Lake is a great place to be if you love the outdoors. Vast expanses of open desert provide recreational opportunities for off-road enthusiasts, rock hounds, or people looking for a quiet wilderness experience (Death Valley National Park, Trona Pinnacles, and Mt. Whitney to name a few). Each of the 192 homes on the installation are single-family and are unfurnished with fenced backyards, garage, wall-to-wall carpeting, vertical blinds, dishwasher, garbage disposal, stove, refrigerator and washer and dryer hook-ups. The units have heating and central evaporative cooling. All units have three or four bedrooms and 1 3/4 or two bathrooms and spacious lawns with lots of trees for shade. There is a well-lit walking/biking pathway running though out the entire area, and a park nearby park.

Availability/Eligibility

Navy-owned housing at China Lake is available to active-duty military families. Very often there is a waiting list of a few weeks to a few months for family housing. Check with the Navy Family Housing Office (760-939-4450) for availability as soon as you know you are transferring to China Lake.

The Community Services team is dedicated to making your stay with Lincoln Military Housing an exceptional experience for the entire family. They provide a host of free events throughout the year in order to make it easier for you and your family to meet neighbors, make friends and for all of our residents to have a great time. We also partner with area organizations in order to make their programs more accessible to you and your family. They also strive to give additional support during times of deployment. Find out more in the monthly newsletter or by visiting the program website.

Application

HEAT stands for Housing Early Assistance Tool. Navy Housing has developed HEAT to assist service members and their families in obtaining housing information Navy wide. HEAT allows service members, Department of Defense-sponsored civilians and their families to get the housing process started online at one or more Navy installations before or after they receive their permanent change of station orders. HEAT is available to any service member at all Navy installations.

It is recommended that you complete your application form as soon as possible. Include with this form a copy of your orders and an updated copy of your Page 2/ RED/DA . You will be placed in advanced status until we receive your detaching information. Forward your package to the Family Housing Office at China Lake, 760-939-4450. Contact the Family Housing Office immediately upon your arrival to be placed on the waiting list and/or for assistance in locating affordable and suitable housing in the community. Your control date will be the date of detachment from your last duty station. Make sure that your date of detachment is stamped on your orders with an administrator’s signature. Assignment to government quarters at China Lake is not mandatory. Single or married military members may request to reside off station.

Housing Referral Office – The HRO is your contact for any problems you may encounter such as discrimination complaints, tenant/landlord disputes or any questions or problems about off-base housing. The HRO will provide you with a list of rentals with corresponding locator maps and give you information regarding the communities in which the rentals are located. All renters should carry renter’s insurance against fire, theft and other damages. The property owner's insurance will cover the property but not the renter’s personal property. Transfer coverage after you arrive.

Rental Options – Please go to the Homes.mil website if you are active duty looking to live off base or you can contact the housing office at 760-939-4450 for assistance.  The Housing Service Center (HSC) maintains a current database of available off-base community rental properties for homes, apartments and townhomes. Rental properties listed with the HSC are inspected for suitability by housing referral professionals.

Purchase Options

Ridgecrest housing is affordable in California. Homes in the Ridgecrest area are designed to fit every lifestyle with a combination of simplicity and elegance. Whether you are looking for a modestly priced starter home, a townhouse or a condominium, living in the Ridgecrest area can be fun, easy and affordable. A wide variety of excellent housing is readily available at reasonable prices. You can live only minutes from your office.

While the median home price in California is $700k, the medial home price in Ridgecrest is much lower at $270k. For rentals, averages are $1100/month (1-bedroom apt), $1400/month (3-bedroom home), and there are many options to build.

A full-service community, Ridgecrest has a acute care regional hospital, a career-oriented community college, and a high quality educational system. Education is a priority, evidenced by 37% of adults over the age of 25 having a four-year degree.

Free from traffic congestion, it takes less than 15 minutes to drive anywhere in city limits. Temperatures can get in the low 20s in the winter and up to 118 degrees in the summer. We average 10 degrees cooler than Palm Springs, the low desert.

A perfect place to raise a family, retire or pursue outdoor recreation, with open space for off-roading or horseback riding and mountain biking, just to name a few. Ridgecrest is the center of influence in the Eastern Sierra high desert and a community with a clear vision of where it wants to go.

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.

Housing is available to all active-duty military families. All homes are single-family domiciles with three to four bedroom units. Call the Navy Family Housing Office at 760-939-4450 for availability. Do not wait to get on the list. Contact the housing office as soon as you get orders for China Lake.

The housing office can also provide information for off-base housing options and processes.