Household Goods & General Housing Info
Arrival and Temporary Housing
While residing in temporary lodging in Busan, you will likely have to front-load some initial out of pocket expenses. The per diem rate for Busan for fiscal year 2017 is $233 - $381 for lodging and $148 for meals and incidental expenses. Remember, you are not allowed to use your Government Travel Charge Card for travel associated with PCS. You will receive Temporary Lodging Allowance (TLA) to cover those expenses.
Sailors stationed in Busan acquire housing through the Commander, Fleet Activities Chinhae (CFAC) Family Housing Service Center located on CFAC.
Household Goods
All service members stationed in Busan will need to use the Household Goods Transportation office on USAG Daegu for inbound and outbound household goods shipping and receiving once housing has been secured. The office is located in Building T-1845 on Camp Henry in USAG Daegu at DSN: 315-768- 6794 (Inbound) and 315-768-6791 (Outbound). Please call to set up an appointment to discuss arrangements needed.
Preparing for New Housing
All service members stationed in Chinhae or Busan need to in-process with the CFAC Family Housing Service Center within 48 hours of arrival or completion of in-processing.
Preparing for New Housing (Chinhae residents only)
Accompanied Sailors will be placed in military housing, based on availability. If appropriate housing is not available, families will live o post( off-base housing). There are many Korean realtors that can help families find o post housing( off-base housing).
Unaccompanied Sailors will normally live in one or two-person barracks on post (on-base housing)based upon rank. The Navy barracks were awarded the CEL A-list Award for the last 4 straight years.
Family housing and unaccompanied housing are available on base at Chinhae. The CFAC Housing Service Center will also assist where o -base housing(off-base housing) is appropriate.
For more information on housing for Chinhae and Busan, please go to https://www.cnic.navy.mil/regions/cnfk/installations/cfa_chinhae/ffr/housing-service-center/military-family-housing.html
CFAC Housing Eligibility (Chinhae residents only)
Eligibility for on-base housing is on a first come- first serve basis. If there is no availability on-base, the Housing Service Center (HSC) will arrange for you to move out in town. In addition, the HSC will assist you in locating adequate and affordable economy housing.
All military and civilian personnel must process their lease agreement with the Housing CFAC Family Service Center and are strongly encouraged to attend the O -Post Housing( off-base housing) Briefing prior to entering into a lease agreement.
Note: Only in the event of adequate quarters not being available will an unaccompanied service member be authorized to reside o -post. ( off-base housing)
Working with the CFAC Housing Office (Chinhae residents only)
The first step to moving to Busan is to make contact with the CFAC Family Housing Service Center through the Housing Early Application Tool (HEAT).
Navy Housing has developed HEAT to assist service members and their families in applying for housing Navy-wide. HEAT allows service members and their families to get the housing application process started online before or after they receive their Permanent Change of Station (PCS) orders. HEAT creates an easy user experience to connect with your PCS destination. Spouses can use the application as well, needing only minimal information about their service member.
For more information about this program, please see the website at https://www.cnic.navy.mil/regions/cnfk/installations/cfa_chinhae/ffr/housing-service-center/military-family-housing.html
CFAC Housing Options (Chinhae residents only)
If living on a military base is the preferred or only option for you and your family, service members and their command-sponsored dependents can apply for on-base housing at CFAC in Chinhae or U.S.
Army Garrison Daegu. Be aware that Chinhae is an approximately one and a half hour drive from Busan each way, without traffic, while Daegu is approximately 2 hours drive each way, without traffic.
CFAC Family Housing Service Center
Once you are in the Republic of Korea, you will need to contact or stop by the CFAC Family Housing Service Center in Chinhae to be briefed on the Housing Referral Service program.
A CFAC representative will help you schedule appointments to look at apartments in Busan with a local realtor. Once you have found a home that you want, the CFAC Family Housing Service Center will inspect the property and negotiate the rental contact with the property landlord.
The CFAC Family Housing Service Center will assist the service member in completing the necessary paperwork and documentation. You will need:
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Service member’s PCS orders
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Housing Application Form (DD Form 1746)
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Sex Offender Policy Acknowledgement and Disclosure Form (CNIC 11103/1)
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Command Sponsorship for dependents
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Civilian only:
- TCS Order (DD Form 1614)
- Transportation Agreement (DD Form 1617)
Household Goods
All service members stationed in Chinhae will need to use the Household Goods Transportation office on USAG Daegu for inbound and outbound household goods shipping and receiving once housing has been secured. The office is located in Building T-1845 on Camp Henry in USAG Daegu at DSN: 315-768- 6794 (Inbound) and 315-768-6791 (Outbound). Please call to set up an appointment to discuss arrangements needed.
For more information, please see the CFAC Family Housing Service Center website at www. cfachousing.net or call DSN: 315-762-5454, COMM from ROK: 050-3362-5454 / 055-540-5454 or COMM from US: 011-82-10-3572-8684. For allowance or financial questions, please contact the CFAC Command Services Department at DSN:315-762-5203.
The CFAC Family Housing Service Center offers the following services for those moving to Busan:
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Maintains an open referral system via realtors or landlord that ensures customers receive up-to-date information on nondiscriminatory rental properties.
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Reviews and processes a landlord’s rental contract with the service member
before signing. -
Processes the paperwork for a lease contract, Lease Agreement form and the Overseas Housing Allowance.
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Provides interpretation services in dealing with landlords.
• Provides rental agreements in English and Korean.
• Performs property and safety inspections.
• Performs conflict resolution.
Paying Rent
Service members pay the monthly rent in the local currency, the Korean won, to the realtor or landlord and should ask for a receipt for each transaction. Service members may also pay via wire transfer if they have or acquire a Korean bank account. All high-rise apartments and villas (five-story) require service members to pay ‘management fees,’ which are the member’s responsibility. These expenses normally appear on your monthly bill as Basic Maintenance Fees (Cleaning of common areas, use of elevators, access area lighting, security, and parking expenses) and Utilities (Electricity, water and sewer). Gas is located on another bill. Basic Maintenance Fees vary according to the size of your chosen apartment. These varying charges must be paid with the ‘Utilities Allowance.’ internet/cable tv/satellite tv In the Republic of Korea, internet and television are packaged together and provided by your landlord unless otherwise stated in your lease. A cable box comes with your apartment and is usually accompanied by a TV. If you require a modem/router, you must speak with your landlord/realtor as they are required to provide one upon request. You also have the option of bringing or purchasing a high-speed modem/router of your own. Typical streaming programs (i.e. Netflix or Hulu) may not work properly or have the same access to content as in the U.S.
Internet/Cable TV/Satellite TV
In the Republic of Korea, internet and television are packaged together and provided by your landlord unless otherwise stated in your lease. A cable box comes with your apartment and is usually accompanied by a TV. If you require a modem/router, you must speak with your landlord/realtor as they are required to provide one upon request. You also have the option of bringing or purchasing a high-speed modem/router of your own. Typical streaming programs (i.e. Netflix or Hulu) may not work properly or have the same access to content as in the U.S.
Loaner Furnishing Program
Eligible service members are authorized available loaner furnishings for 90 days while waiting for their Household Goods. The CFAC Family Housing Service Center will process and schedule your furnishing request once your lease has been finalized.
For more information, please contact the CFAC Family Housing Service Center at DSN: 315-762-5291 for accompanied and DSN: 315-762-5336 for unaccompanied.
What to Bring
Please visit https://www.militaryonesource.mil/moving-housing/moving/pcs-and-military-moves/ for detailed information on military moving.
The Republic of Korea uses 220v power outlets (vs. 110v power in the US). U.S. military installations use standard U.S. 110v power outlets.
You will have four types of shipments for your PCS.
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Hand Carried and Flight Checked Baggage.
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Unaccompanied Baggage
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Household Goods Shipment
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CONUS Storage (Items normally kept in back yards, i.e. grill/patio furniture, and garage items, i.e. tool chests/ladders, are good candidates for CONUS storage)
As always, keep all your important documents and records with you as hand carried baggage. Due to increased airport security, please check with your airline or visit https://goo.gl/y47GWV or https://goo.gl/dXr8mu for more information on what is allowed in carry-on luggage.
For your checked baggage, remember to check your orders and confirm with your airline about the number of bags and the weight limit. Some suggested essentials are current seasonal clothes, comfortable shoes, personal entertainment, favorite snacks, and any car/ booster seats that you will need.
Your unaccompanied baggage or express shipment may be the only shipment you receive while you live
in a hotel or temporary housing until your permanent housing is settled. Even if you move into your permanent housing right away, your household goods may not arrive for a few months. Consider sending the following items as unaccompanied baggage:
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Kitchen & eating necessities, including plates, utensils, pots and pans
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Towels (bath and kitchen)
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Bed linens including blankets and pillows
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Children’s items, particularly their favorite games and toys
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Baby crib, changing table, jogger stroller,
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Computer equipment
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Small hand tools (hammer, screwdriver)
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Lightweight decorations
The government allows only a certain percentage
of your total weight allowance to be shipped as household goods to Korea. Please visit https://www.militaryonesource.mil/moving-housing/moving/pcs-and-military-moves/ for more information on weight allowance. The remainder of your items will need to be placed in storage at government expense.