Both spouses in BMOQ, selling house, move, storage etc... info

[the_girlfirend]

Good morning everyone!

My boyfriend is already gone for BMOQ, and it will be my turn to leave in January. Therefore for the months to come, we won't be living in our house, and so we have decided to sell it.

As I understood from reading other topics, we cannot have any help from the CF before our first posting. Does this mean that we need to arrange with a moving company and storage company to take care of our stuff until my boyfriend finishes phase 4 and get a posting?

And then once we get a posting the CF will pick up our stuff from the storage and bring it to our posting location?

We are both new in this journey, I just want to make sure we do everything right... Please let me know if there is any help that we can get from the CF.

Thank you for any advice
Have a nice day

 

[PMedMoe]

You are correct.  You will not get any assistance for the sale of this house but yes, once you receive a posting, they will pick up your HG&E and ship it to your new location.

Is is possible to not sell the house until after he is posted?

 

[armychick2009]

I'd suggest renting out your house -- perhaps focusing on short-term renters that are flexible. We're sort of in the same situation. My ex is off to Afghanistan shortly and I am moving away -- he can't sell it until he returns so we're renting it out in the meantime. We're renting it for what our mortgage and taxes cost us - so we aren't making money but are breaking even. Likely he is posted when he returns from overseas and then the army will cover the house sale costs and moving costs.

You might even consider renting the house furnished... then, when you ARE posted, the army comes in and packs everything for you. It really does make things less stressful.

Do you have a good friend or someone you trust that could watch your place for you?

 

[the_girlfirend]

Thank you very much!

I am a little pissed off at myself because I signed with an agent for 7 months, and we are currently very close to a deal. Renting it would have been a great option, but we never even thought about it. If this deal does not go through I will see with my agent if we can cancel the contract... even if it cost me money to cancel it, in the long run it will be better...

Thanks again!

 

[kincanucks]

Not trying to be too much of a doomsayer here but wouldn't it be wiser to wait until both of you have passed BMOQ before selling your house?

 

[the_girlfirend]

;D Kincanucks,

Don't worry about that!
I am hoping at least one of us will make it to the end  ;D
We decided to move on anyway...

 

[the_girlfirend]

I have one more question,

Our house his now sold, and we need to move and store our stuff before I leave for BMOQ and he leaves for CAP in January.
I now know that it was a mistake to sell it, every one in the CF that I have talked to, told me the same thing "why did you sell it?"

I was wondering...
Would it be better if we would just get an apartment?
Would you recommend getting an apartment?

I was thinking that it might be a great way to store our stuff and keep a "pied à terre" in Montreal, so I keep a place to go to during my weekends off while on BMOQ. And even if my boyfriend will be in Gagetown for phase 2-3-4. He will also have a place to go when visiting. And we are common-law, so it is great to keep a place that is still ours.

If we get an apartment with a lease at our names and hydro bills and insurance and everything... I just want to make sure that we won't have to pay for R&Q while on training... because it would be expensive to pay 3 places, his, mine and ours.

Any advice would be great.
Thank you

 

[Eye In The Sky]

You realize people might be reluctant to answer, being that you asked for, received and ignored the advice given?  And now admit, that was a mistake (selling the house).

Nevertheless, my advice is to ask this question to the folks at CFRC Montreal.  However, I believe if you do get an apartment now, and are common law, and have a lease, etc you probably won't pay for R & Q while at CFLRS.  Assuming, of course, that your Common Law Status is one that has been granted by the CF.

However, this close to your and your BFs COS dates/report dates, I'd be getting the info from the people who are handling your file.  Seriously. 

Also realize most people will be starting Christmas Block Leave 5 working days from now, and some units will be on minimal manning now as alot of people in the CF are being told to have a zero leave balance on returning from Christmas Leave 09/10.  Factor in to that unit Christmas functions, sticky floors, etc you are probably looking at 3 days of *work* left in most units.  Remember, the folks at CFRC Montreal do have a Higher HQ that they answer to and have to hand up special questions to.  That Higher HQ probably handles questions from ALL CFRCs, so...you can see there likely is a bottleneck there.  That Higher HQ might have to go to DCBA.  Etc.

Hope time doesn't run out on you.  I'd be making a phone call Monday morning at whatever time CFRC Montreal opens for business.

 

[the_girlfirend]

Hey Eye in the sky,

Thank you for your answer,

We sold our house on our own, before getting any advice at all. As soon as I got my transfer offer from res to reg, we thought it was the best thing to do, and it sold in 12 days unfortunately.

Since everyone seems to think it was a bad idea, I thought maybe getting an appartment would solve this problem.

I am in constant communication with CFRC MTL, my unit and CFLRS to try to arrange the move and storage of our stuff before I leave for BMOQ. And I know that I am running out of time, but unfortunately it seems to be very hard to sort this out, as I have been trying for a month now, between these 4 departments... no one seems to have a clear idea of how it is supposed to happen.

And so again as a second option, I was thinking of getting an appartment. As a way to store and as a "part-time" place to live.

My common-law status has been granted by the CF.

You say that I probably won't have to pay for R&Q, but what about my boyfriend doing CAP? (do you still have to pay R&Q in CAP?)

Thank you for your answer, I will be hitting the phone on Monday.

 

[Eye In The Sky]

From what I remember, I don't think either of you would pay R & Q provided the lease was signed by both of you.  Now...I am not at work and haven't access to ref material/Din sites either so...thats an opinion on my part of course.  I know I read some stuff in the DCBA Aide Memoire about SCs (Service Couples) that differs from CF mbrs who are married/CL with a non-military spouse, but thats about where my memory stops on that one  :blotto: as Mrs EITS isn't military.

Hopefully someone still at work or who knows this better than me will be along to offer some info.

Just remember, paying of R & Q isn't central to a certain course, but rather to if a mbr is maintaining a residence in a seperate location, marital status and all the assorted DCBA rules and regs, things like that.  I don't remember them all, I just have a good Favorites folder on IE at work.  8)

 

[armychick2009]

Well, I'm one of the ones who said don't sell your house

I'm going to be one of those ones who say, don't get an apartment. Can you not move into his apartment?  If you put your stuff in storage, the army won't come and pick it up. They need to pack it themselves. If your'e common-law, one of the things about BEING common law is having the same address. Likely, they will only choose one house to move, when the time comes.

I could be wrong but...

I'd just stick with one place. Make your life easier. If the place is too small for your furniture and his, rent a storage space. But, when they come to move you, you will need to load it from storage and cram it into your house with his stuff, so they'll move it together.

I could be off base but - I'm in a similar situation. All my stuff is in storage and when I get to wherever it is I'm going, I have to physically move it from the storage to where I am staying, in order for it to be covered. They will repack everything.

 

[the_girlfirend]

haha armychick
I think I need to explain that when I was refering to his, mine, and our place I was refering to his and mine on base. The appartment would be ours.

We are common-law we live together now. But since our home is sold we need to move out. Moving out is either storage or getting an appartment that would be ours. But while in training we will be living on base anyway (that is the his and mine)

I am thinking we will store (with the CF) as a first choice, but since it is not confirmed yet and with the holidays coming I am getting nervous. I just want to make sure I have a plan B which would be to get an appartment. But I am actually worried when Eye in the Sky said that service couples have different rules than the common-law status with a civilian. Because the CF will know that none of us is living in the appartment since we are both living on base.

I will see how it goes.
Thank you for your help.