Options while waiting for house to sell

[dimsum]

A quick search didn't get come up with anything, so here we go:

I'm moving to Victoria from Comox fairly soon; report date is mid-Apr.  Since it's early in the "posting season", I haven't had much luck in getting my place looked at and my HHT is coming up very soon.  So, aside from putting conditional offers down or renting while waiting for my house to sell, does anyone know if I could stay in Quarters (ie. the Wardroom) while waiting for all of this to go through?  If it's possible to do that and have my stuff in Comox so that it's one move when I do buy, that would be perfect.

Any advice would be helpful, thanks!

 

[Occam]

Unless something's changed recently (and plenty of things have!), one of the basic tenets of cost moves was "Don't go on your HHT until you have a house that's sold at origin".  Going on an HHT without at least a tentative closing date is pointless as it makes the process of making an offer that much more difficult.

I'm pretty sure you can leave your F&E at origin pending the sale of the house while you carry on to destination and stay in quarters (if they're available).  Then you can take advantage of your HHT when you actually have all the pieces of the puzzle.

Have you called your Brookfield rep?

 

[George Wallace]

Unless something's changed recently (and plenty of things have!), one of the basic tenets of cost moves was "Don't go on your HHT until you have a house that's sold at origin".  Going on an HHT without at least a tentative closing date is pointless as it makes the process of making an offer that much more difficult.

:-\ 

I find this a rather strange philosophy.  I am sure that I am not the only one here who has gone on a HHT long before my current residence was put on the market.  I have found a new home, put in an offer and had a closing date established to coincide with my Report Date.  I am sure that ninety per cent of the other members here have also done the same with no problems selling a house on Posting.  One has to always remember "Location, Location, Location" when buying.  You have to look at what the resale factors are going to be on every Posting.  In many cases where people have run into problems in the past lay in the fact that they bought a hobby farm well away from their place of work or that they bought an outrageously expensive home with no thought to resale on Posting.  Unfortunately, the downturn in a housing market does occasionally happen and some will be caught in that, but for the most part if one keeps "Location, Location, Location" and "Resale" in mind, they should have no problems come Posting Season.

I'm pretty sure you can leave your F&E at origin pending the sale of the house while you carry on to destination and stay in quarters (if they're available).  Then you can take advantage of your HHT when you actually have all the pieces of the puzzle.

Have you called your Brookfield rep?

This makes sense if you have a problem selling.  Once upon a time, I think you were permitted up to two years to finalize a sale on Posting.  I am not sure what the rules are now, so the advice to see the Brookfield Rep would probably be the best advice as to finding out what your entitlements and options are.  Your Gaining Unit may also have some input as to what you will be able to or not do.

 

[agc]

I can't seem to find a link for you on the internet.

On the DWAN navigate to http://hr.dwan.dnd.ca/dgcb/dcba/pdf/Aide_Memoire08_e.pdf

It's an aide memoire for certain benefits.  See Ch2 Sec 3.  You should be able to request Temporary Relocation (TR), while you wait for your house to sell.

 

[captloadie]

The issue you might run into is that if you don't take a HHT before your posting date, you won't be eligble for many of the benefits (transport, hotel, meals, etc.) because you are already at your new place of duty. The other issue is whether your new chain of command will give you the time off to look for housing once you are there. This is especially true I believe if you aren't leaving dependants behind.

 

[agc]

Captloadie brings up a good point about dependants.  If you don't have any, you can't have TR benefits.  You should still be able to request a room in the quarters at your own expense, though.

According to 8.1.03 of the Relocation Directive, you still have two years from COS or shipping of your HG&E (whichever is later) to finalize the purchase and claim the expenses.

http://www.cmp-cpm.forces.gc.ca/dgcb-dgras/pd/rel-rei/aps-paa-2009/chapter-chapitre-08-eng.asp#art-08-03-02

 

[Occam]

I find this a rather strange philosophy.  I am sure that I am not the only one here who has gone on a HHT long before my current residence was put on the market.  I have found a new home, put in an offer and had a closing date established to coincide with my Report Date.  I am sure that ninety per cent of the other members here have also done the same with no problems selling a house on Posting. 

When I moved almost three years ago, the RLRS consultant really emphasized that taking an HHT prior to a conditional sale at origin was always risky.  Even if you wrote a conditional offer (pending the firm sale at origin) on a home at destination, you could be left in the position where the origin sale falls through causing you to back out of the destination purchase - and causing a wasted HHT.  You would be then forced to purchase a home at destination using travel on your own dime - or as I've seen some people do, buy a home sight unseen.  Crazy, yes, I know...but I personally know people who have done it.

The issue you might run into is that if you don't take a HHT before your posting date, you won't be eligble for many of the benefits (transport, hotel, meals, etc.) because you are already at your new place of duty.

If you're bringing a dependant on HHT who is still at origin, then you still get all of those benefits*.  If you're single, well, you'd already be getting free quarters anyway, and you would still be eligible for car rental if you left your car at origin.  You really didn't want to eat $68/day worth of food anyways, did you? 

*edit:  See CFIRP, Section 11.2 Unaccompanied moves

 

[captloadie]

If OP has no dependants, then they won't get free rations, and I'm not sure about quarters. Does it fall under the new favourite slogan of "ïts a personal decision" not move their HG&E right away to the new place of duty?

If the timeline is really compressed, as its sounds like in this case, there is no reason not to take a HHT. Other than the waste of funds, which they can't use otherwise, nothing is lost. Once again, that is dependant on the OP being single.

 

[Occam]

If OP has no dependants, then they won't get free rations, and I'm not sure about quarters. Does it fall under the new favourite slogan of "ïts a personal decision" not move their HG&E right away to the new place of duty?

A single member would get free quarters on an unaccompanied move (see CFIRP 11.2.11 Rations and quarters).  It's not a personal decision to not move HG&E to destination when the home at origin hasn't sold.  I don't know too many people who can carry two mortgages.

 

[dimsum]

Thanks for the responses; I am single w/o dependants, so since the Brookfield (IRP) coordinator seemed to gloss over that option, it was good to ask here!  I'll talk to them and see what the details are, but so far if it's down to living in the Wardroom or renting a place for the time being, I think I'll pick the Wardroom.

 

[aesop081]

Thanks for the responses; I am single w/o dependants, so since the Brookfield (IRP) coordinator seemed to gloss over that option, it was good to ask here!  I'll talk to them and see what the details are, but so far if it's down to living in the Wardroom or renting a place for the time being, I think I'll pick the Wardroom.

Go back to work..........see you at HPMA.

 

[Pusser]

The issue you might run into is that if you don't take a HHT before your posting date, you won't be eligble for many of the benefits (transport, hotel, meals, etc.) because you are already at your new place of duty. The other issue is whether your new chain of command will give you the time off to look for housing once you are there. This is especially true I believe if you aren't leaving dependants behind.

Not entirely true.  There are HHT benefits available to you after reporting for duty at your new location, including time off  and transportation expenses to go look at houses.

 

[captloadie]

As I said in my earlier post, getting the time off might be the issue. It is not written in stone that a CO must give you the time for a HHT.

 

[meni0n]

If you're not buying a place, can't you take a HIT instead of a HHT? I think it's only 5 days and it's just to inspect the quarters or place you will be renting and give you a chance to set up all the other stuff such as electricity etc,

 

[Occam]

If you're not buying a place, can't you take a HIT instead of a HHT? I think it's only 5 days and it's just to inspect the quarters or place you will be renting and give you a chance to set up all the other stuff such as electricity etc,

That's a Destination Inspection Trip (see CFIRP chap 4), normally three days/nights plus travel time.

 

[kratz]

That's a Destination Inspection Trip (see CFIRP chap 4), normally three days/nights plus travel time.

and your spouse is not covered to accompany you during a DIT.

 

[navymich]

and your spouse is not covered to accompany you during a DIT.

According to Chap 4 of CFIRP link above, yes they are covered.  However, the expenses relating to a dependant accompanying you will come out of the Personalized benefit (unless you are a single parent at which time it comes from the customs benefits)

Regarding Dimsum's situation, my thoughts are that if they want him there at a specific time, they will have to accept the fact that he has not yet sold his current residence and there is a chance that he will require time off later down the road to secure a new residence and arrange his move.  Unless I am missing something, it seems to be a simple case of saying "hey new boss, if you want me on that date, can you approve my move and leave for later.  Thank you very much."  Given the fact that his old and new locations are so close in proximity, there definitely won't be much of a travel issue involved.

 

[dimsum]

According to Chap 4 of CFIRP link above, yes they are covered.  However, the expenses relating to a dependant accompanying you will come out of the Personalized benefit (unless you are a single parent at which time it comes from the customs benefits)

Regarding Dimsum's situation, my thoughts are that if they want him there at a specific time, they will have to accept the fact that he has not yet sold his current residence and there is a chance that he will require time off later down the road to secure a new residence and arrange his move.  Unless I am missing something, it seems to be a simple case of saying "hey new boss, if you want me on that date, can you approve my move and leave for later.  Thank you very much."  Given the fact that his old and new locations are so close in proximity, there definitely won't be much of a travel issue involved.

Does my new boss even need to do that, if I elect to go to single quarters while keeping my house (temporarily) in Comox?  Probably something I want to chat with him/her about one of the days on HHT.

 

[navymich]

Does my new boss even need to do that, if I elect to go to single quarters while keeping my house (temporarily) in Comox?  Probably something I want to chat with him/her about one of the days on HHT.

Personally, I would talk to him.  Just to keep him in the loop about what is going on and look into the possibility of getting some extra days later when you might need them for your actual move.  I have always found that it's better to let them know ahead of time of a potential situation and then not have a need for it, then spring something on them at the last minute that might have been resolved earlier.

 

[dimsum]

Again, thanks for the info.  I'm on my HHT now and am looking to put a conditional offer (subj to the sale of my place in Comox), but another wrinkle has come up.  The sellers are looking to sell in the mid-May timeframe, while my report date is mid-Apr.  Since my place hasn't had an offer yet, I'm still planning on staying in quarters, but since the delay could be due to "working out a closing/possession date" rather than "me not being able to sell my current residence in time", does anyone know if the benefits (living in quarters, etc.) will change? 

I'm emailing Brookfield this at the same time, but I've since learned that asking the forum here sometimes gets me better answers!