Frequently Asked Questions

Kaiserslautern Military Community – according to ramstein.af.mil, the KMC is the largest American military community outside the continental United States. Most sources cite approximately 50,000 Americans located in the KMC area.

The Joint Travel Regulations, commonly referred to as the JTR, is a publication of the U.S. Department of Defense (DoD), defining rules & regulations for travel of U.S. DoD Civilian employees and Armed Service Members, and can be found at https://www.defensetravel.dod.mil/  Department of State Standardized Regulations found at https://aoprals.state.gov  are regulations that govern travel for U.S. Civilians abroad.

PCS stands for Permanent Change of Station, which is a status of military orders issued to Active Duty members as well as Civilian Employees for assignment to another duty station. We commonly use the term “PCSing in” when you are traveling to Germany for a new assignment, and” PCSing out” when you’re leaving the country to return to the U.S. or to another duty assignment.

Temporary Quarters Subsistence Allowance is the travel allowance which applies to Civilians on PCS orders to/from an overseas assignment. The JTR & DSSR allow Civilians up to 90-days of TQSA when PCSing in, and up to 30 days when PCSing out. Per the JTR, Active Duty members are also allowed temporary living quarters (referred to as TLA, or Temporary Lodging Allowance), for up to 30 days when PCSing in, and up to 10 days when PCSing out. It is important to note that Commands have the prerogative to stipulate lesser timeframes for these allowances.

Active Duty members on TLA are generally required to file lodging receipts every 10 days with Housing. During your TLA, Housing may make offers of quarters for permanent lodging. If you reject their first & second offers, you will no longer qualify for TLA.

Generally, yes! You may choose to stay on base but you are also allowed to stay off base in most situations. If there is no availability to accommodate you on base, billeting will issue you a Letter of Non-Availability (or Non-A) which can be helpful especially if you have a large family. If there is availability on base but you still prefer to stay on the economy, it is possible to choose your own TLA, but you will only be reimbursed up to the published on-base rate. Let us know your situation and we will do our best to help: info@tdyhomes.com

The Defense Travel Management Office publishes per diem rates monthly. The Per Diem Rates Table for Germany can be found by conducting a Per Diem Rates Query at: https://www.defensetravel.dod.mil/site/perdiem.cfm  We download this information monthly, and can provide this to you upon request.

Our rates generally reflect the published per diem lodging rates for the area. If you are on PCS orders, the JTR/DSSR stipulate a percentage allowance for lodging based on your family size. During your booking we can provide the calculations specific to you. Rates, however, are always negotiable.

Generally, transportation to/from the airport is a reimbursable expense. Check with your finance point of contact to confirm, and keep your receipt to file with your travel voucher for reimbursement.

LQA stands for Living Quarters Allowance and refers to the allowance for Civilians for their permanent housing expenses. LQA is usually overseen by the Civilian Personnel office. OHA is the Overseas Housing Allowance which is the allowance to Active Duty members for permanent housing expenses, generally overseen by the Military Housing Office.Am I required to obtain approval from Housing for my permanent lodging? Most Active Duty members & Air Force Civilians are required to obtain Housing approval for their long term lodging. Most Army Civilians are not required to obtain Housing approval, but can use their service if desired.

Value Added Tax (VAT) forms are used to waive tax on the local economy for goods & services. VAT forms may be used to waive the local lodging tax of 7%, or 19% tax on retail purchases. The forms can be purchased from your local VAT office on base. You will need your military ID and a copy of your orders. They are $5 each, but for your first purchase they sometimes allow you to purchase 10 at a discount for a total of $40. In order for a VAT form to work with your first lodging invoice, it must be obtained within seven days of arrival to Germany. More information on VAT forms can be found at: https://kaiserslautern.armymwr.com/happenings/pre-order-vat-forms-pick 

We accept many forms of payment including GTC, VISA, MASTERCARD, AMERICAN EXPRESS, DISCOVER, cash, bank transfers, etc. We do not accept payment by check, however.