Housing

Accompanied service members of all grades will be mandatory assigned to government-leased housing, until the occupancy rate of 100% is achieved.

Government-leased housing in The Netherlands is located on the local economy; the home you live in will be located among our host nation neighbors. Knowing a few local customs and courtesies can go a long way in making your stay in The Netherlands a memorable one, and having a positive impression about your host nation neighbor can enrich your learning experience and foster a more positive image.

The Housing Manual is currently under revision. After revision, a copy of the Housing Manual can be found through a link in this paragraph.

Government-Leased and Off-Post Housing

In-processing Requirements

Service members are required to report within two workdays after arrival to register for housing and to make appointments for a Housing/Temporary Lodging Allowance newcomers briefing. Briefing appointments are flexible, and your housing officer will attempt to schedule times that best accommodate the needs of incoming personnel. Due to the high influx of personnel at different times of the year, however, appointment schedules get very congested, so make sure you are at your appointment on time, and be flexible in your schedule.

• The procedures for family quarters applications, assignments, waiting lists and terminations are as specified in Chapter 3, Army Regulations 420-1 with RAR, dated Aug. 24. 2012, Housing Management; and United States Army Europe Supplement 1 to Army Regulations 420-1, Army Facilities Management, dated Feb. 12, 2008. All service members in Key and Essential positions and service members with duty station Brunssum or Eygelshoven of all the ranks are required to utilize government-leased housing when available.
• Military service members will check in with the Assignments and Terminations Branch, Building 8, Room 231, of the United States Army Garrison Benelux-Brunssum Housing Office. From there, they will be directed to either government-leased quarters, single soldiers quarters or to the Housing Referral Branch Office for a private lease.
• Department of Defense civilians and all other civilians will check in with the Housing Referral Branch of the USAG Benelux-Brunssum Housing Office, Building 8, Room 234.
• A Certificate of Non-Availability provided by the Housing Office is an authorization to seek private rental housing, which is provided only if government-leased housing is not available within 30 days of arrival.

To assist families in finding adequate housing, all service members and DOD civilians should report to the Housing Office, located Building 8, 2nd Floor, Rooms 230 through 234, at USAG Benelux-Brunssum. The Housing Office maintains a listing of quarters in local communities, to include individual apartments and two-, three-, and four-bedroom homes for military personnel. Housing Referral Services are available for military service members not assigned to government-leased quarters, to include civilian employees. The DPW Housing Office also handles Temporary Lodging Allowance requests, Statements of Non-Availability and Government Furnishings and Appliances.

Government-leased housing and off-post economy housing available might be smaller than American houses and can have narrow stairways and/or small windows. Therefore, houses may have restricted accessibility for king- and queen-size beds and mattresses, or other equivalent in size property. A common bedroom dimension for the largest (master) bedroom is 15x12 feet. Large appliances are impractical and recommended to store in non-temporary storage in the U.S. 

Washers, dryers, freezers and refrigerators (220 volts) are issued by Housing; there is no need to ship these. Note: Electricity is 220 volts in the Netherlands versus 110 volts in the United States.

Loaner Furniture and Appliances

Temporary Government Furniture and Appliances will be available through Housing Centralized Furnishings Management Office at USAG Benelux-Brunssum, Building 8, Room 232. Call DSN 597-4156 or DSN 597-4154, COMMERCIAL: 011-31-45-534-0156.

• Department of Defense civilians and all other civilians will check in with the Housing Referral Branch of the USAG Benelux-Brunssum Housing Office, Building 8, Room 234.
• A Certificate of Non-Availability provided by the Housing Office is an authorization to seek private rental housing, which is provided only if government-leased housing is not available within 30 days of arrival.

To assist families in finding adequate housing, all service members and DOD civilians should report to the Housing Office, located at Building 8, 2nd Floor, Rooms 230 through 234, at USAG Benelux-Brunssum. The Housing Office maintains a listing of quarters in local communities, to include individual apartments and two-, three-, and four-bedroom homes for military personnel. Housing Referral Services are available for military service members not assigned to government-leased quarters, to include civilian employees. The DPW Housing Office also handles Temporary Lodging Allowance requests, Statements of Non-Availability and Government Furnishings and Appliances.

Government-leased housing and off-post economy housing available might be smaller than American houses and can have narrow stairways and/or small windows. Therefore, houses may have restricted accessibility for king- and queen-size beds and mattresses, or other equivalent in size property. A common bedroom dimension for the largest (master) bedroom is 15x12 feet. Large appliances are impractical and recommended to store in non-temporary storage in the U.S.

Washers, dryers, freezers and refrigerators (220 volts) are issued by Housing; there is no need to ship these. Note: Electricity is 220 volts in the Netherlands versus 110 volts in the United States.

Loaner Furniture and Appliances

Temporary Government Furniture and Appliances will be available through Housing Centralized Furnishings Management Office at USAG Benelux-Brunssum, Building 8, Room 232 on the second floor. Call DSN 597-4156 or DSN 597-4154. Commercial 011-31-45-534-0154 or 0156.

Inbound personnel with full Joint Travel Regulations and those with elective JTR, who elect to ship their household goods, are authorized loaner furniture items for 90 days. Within two weeks of the 90-day issue date, the furnishings branch will contact personnel with a date for loaned furniture pick up. The exception to the policy to keep furnishings longer will be handled on a case-by case basis.

Full JTR means you shipped your household goods; elective JTR means you shipped a portion of your household goods. We will provide you with the first line necessary furniture items. It is not allowed to outfit your guest rooms with government-owned furniture.

Authorized full tour furnishings and appliances include one wardrobe per family member and one additional wardrobe per household, along with a washer, a dryer, a range, a refrigerator and a dishwasher. Occupants are responsible for providing the hook-ups. Appliances are delivered in European sizes.

Internet, Telephone and Television in the Netherlands

Internet, telephone and television packages are available through several providers. They offer packages with various services and TV channel packages. Housing Office staff will provide you with the information at the housing briefing.

Being in The Netherlands is fortunate; you can watch numerous American movies and TV shows in English with subtitles in Dutch. You will also receive BBC One and BBC Two from England. There is also the Discovery Channel, National Geographic and MTV Europe, to name a few. The only way to receive Dutch cable is if you have a multi-system television. These may be purchased at any Army and Air Force Exchange Service store throughout Europe. An American Forces Network decoder can be picked up at Geilenkirchen Air Base, Germany, close to Brunssum.

Remember that The Netherlands is in the Central European Time zone and at times can be up to nine hours ahead of some places in the United States. For instance, if you like to watch National Football League games on Sunday, AFN shows two games, one at 7 p.m. and the other at 10 p.m. Monday Night Football starts at 3 a.m. on Tuesday mornings.

Your housing referral officer at United States Army Garrison Benelux-Brunssum will inform you on all the possibilities concerning phone, internet and television.

Housing

Families serving at Benelux-Brunssum/Allied Joint Force Command Brunssum live in Government leased housing upon availability or in privately leased housing with a Certificate of Non-Availability (CNA).

• Government-leased quarters –Two-, three- and four-bedroom units are in the South Limburg local community. All are within the Allied Forces Northern Europe school bus route. Rent and utilities are automatically paid for without an Overseas Housing Allowance entitlement. Single soldier quarters are also available and fall under this category of housing.
• Privately leased quarters – These are located anywhere in the South Limburg community. The renter has a private lease contract and is responsible for basic rent plus utilities with the entitlement of OHA. The Benelux-Brunssum Housing Office provides a housing referral list with many apartments and houses to choose from.

Call the HSO Housing Office at Commercial 011-31-45-534-0149 or 0150 or 0151 or 0152 / DSN 597-4149 or 4150 or 4151 or 4152.

Government Housing

When planning for a move with the military, you might consider moving into government housing. Government housing is owned and maintained by the Department of Defense and is typically on the installation. Eligibility and availability for this type of housing may vary by service member, family size and installation. Learn more about the different options, benefits and discounts that may be available to you through government housing.

Subtopics

Government Housing

Government Housing on base is not available at USAG Benelux-Brunssum.

All Government Leased quarters are scattered on the local economy within 30 min drive of Brunssum.  Assignment to Government Leased Quarters is mandatory for all ranks when available.

Government Leased Housing

The procedures for family quarters applications, assignments, waiting lists and terminations are as specified in Chapter 3, Army Regulation 420-1 with RAR, dated Aug. 24, 2012, Housing Management; and United States Army Europe Supplement 1 to Army Regulation 420-1, Army Facilities Management, dated Feb. 12, 2008.

All service members in Key and Essential positions and service members in all ranks are required to utilize government-leased housing when available. If no government-leased quarters are available, you will be issued a Statement of Non-Availability and seek privately leased quarters on the local economy. The Housing Services Office will assist you in finding a suitable house within your Overseas Housing Allowance. For more information, contact the A&T Housing Office at Commercial 011-31-45-534-0164 or 0165 or 0166 / DSN 597-4164 or 4165 or 4166 or email

 usarmy.benelux-brunssum.id-europe.mbx.dpw-hsg-gh@mail.mil

Privately Leased Quarters

Privately leased quarters are housing units located anywhere in the South Limburg community. The renter has a private lease contract and is responsible for the rent and utilities (gas, water and electricity).

The Benelux-Brunssum Housing Office provides a housing referral list with many apartments and houses to choose within your OHA. The lease contract used in this area is a special military lease agreement that is written in English and has several military clauses included.

The HSO office will assist you in signing the lease and they will perform an inside and outside inspection. They will also assist you in getting your utilities started with the local companies. You will be provided with the OHA form to start your OHA. You can contact your housing officer with all housing-related questions during your stay.

For more information, contact the HSO Office at Commercial 011-31-45-534-0149 or 0150 or 0151, and 0152 / DSN 597-4149 or 4150 or 4151 and 4152 or email:  usarmy.benelux-brunssum.id-europe.mbx.dpw-hso@army.mil

Single Service Member Housing

Single Soldiers Quarters

Unaccompanied military personnel E1-E6 must live in single soldier’s quarters. These quarters are not the regular barracks but apartments on the local economy. If single soldier’s quarters are not available within 30 days of your arrival, you will be issued a temporary Statement of Non-Availability. You can report to the Housing Services Office and they will assist you in locating suitable quarters on the local economy.

For more information, contact the A&T Housing Office at Commercial 011-31-45-534-0164 or 0165 or 0166 / DSN 597-4164 or 4165 or 4166 or email: usarmy.benelux-brunssum.id-europe.mbx.dpw-hsg-gh@army.mil

Other:

There are housing units located throughout the South Limburg community. The renter has a private lease contract and is responsible for the rent and utilities (gas, water and electricity).

The United States Army Garrison Benelux-Brunssum Housing Services Office provides a housing referral list with many apartments and houses to choose from within your Overseas Housing Allowance. The lease contract used in this area is a special military lease agreement that is written in English and has several military clauses included. The HSO will assist you in signing the lease and they will perform an inside and outside inspection. They will also assist you in getting your utilities started with local companies.

You will be provided with the OHA form to start your OHA. You can contact your housing officer with all housing-related questions during your stay. For more information, contact the Call the HSO Housing Office at Commercial 011-31-45-534-0149 or 0150 or 0151 or 0152 / DSN 597-4149 or 4150 or 4151 or 4152.

Payment of Temporary Lodging Allowance

TLA is paid in 15-day increments from the date of arrival at your new duty station. Personnel on TLA are required to review a minimum of five houses per week during this time. Service members are required to maintain a record of houses viewed. It is important to keep addresses, dates of visit, rental amounts, results of contact, and date of acceptance or reason of non-acceptance. The Housing Office will provide you a form to keep track of this information. If despite being aggressively sought, permanent housing is not obtained within the first 15 days, an additional 15-days allowance may be authorized by filling out a TLA extension request form with your housing representative. You must show your record of houses visited during the past 15-day period before your housing representative will provide you the extension. This process will continue until permanent housing is obtained. Reasons for not accepting a house must be very specific; all the houses listed by the Housing Office are considered adequate housing units in accordance with Installation Management Command-Europe’s quality of life standards. The USAG Benelux-Brunssum Housing Office's standard is to ensure service members and civilians are moved into general living quarters, unaccompanied personnel housing or private rental housing within 30-60 days of arrival in the Netherlands. Only emergency situations for exception to policy over this number of days will be handled and must be approved by the USAG Benelux Commander and G1.

You can check with the housing officer for a list of hotels in the area and to find out what your Temporary Lodging Allowance will be.

If you aren't happy with where you are staying (because of size, price or something else) ask the Housing Office about other hotels in the area.

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.

Internet, Telephone and Television in the Netherlands

Internet, telephone and television packages are available through several providers. They offer packages with various services and TV channel packages. Housing Office staff will provide you with the information at the housing briefing.

Being in The Netherlands is fortunate; you can watch numerous American movies and TV shows in English with subtitles in Dutch. You will also receive BBC One and BBC Two from England. There is also the Discovery Channel, National Geographic and MTV Europe, to name a few. The only way to receive Dutch cable is if you have a multi-system television. These may be purchased at any Army and Air Force Exchange Service store throughout Europe. An American Forces Network decoder can be picked up at Geilenkirchen Air Base, Germany, close to Brunssum.

Remember that The Netherlands is in the Central European Time zone and at times can be up to nine hours ahead of some places in the United States. For instance, if you like to watch National Football League games on Sunday, AFN shows two games, one at 7 p.m. and the other at 10 p.m. Monday Night Football starts at 3 a.m. on Tuesday mornings.

Your housing referral officer at United States Army Garrison Benelux-Brunssum will inform you on all the possibilities concerning phone, internet and television.

Housing

Families serving at Benelux-Brunssum/Allied Joint Force Command Brunssum live on the local economy and use private housing arrangements, including:

• Government-leased quarters –Two-, three- and four-bedroom units are in the South Limburg local community. All are within the Allied Forces Northern Europe school bus route. Rent and utilities are automatically paid for without an Overseas Housing Allowance entitlement. Single soldier quarters are also available and fall under this category of housing.
• Privately leased quarters – These are located anywhere in the South Limburg community. The renter has a private lease contract and is responsible for basic rent plus utilities with the entitlement of OHA. The Benelux-Brunssum Housing Office provides a housing referral list with many apartments and houses to choose from.

Call the HSO Housing Office at Commercial 011-31-45-534-0149 or 0150 or 0151 or 0152 / DSN 597-4149 or 4150 or 4151 or 4152.