Getting Your Household Settled

Before committing to a home

For military households, the installation Housing Services Office can explain off-post housing assistance, review a proposed lease and help with landlord–tenant concerns. Speak with it before signing if you need help understanding the terms. On-post family housing, unaccompanied housing and an off-post lease follow different processes.

For any home, establish the total monthly cost and which services you must set up yourself. Ask about the water source, sewer or septic system, electric service, trash collection and the internet connection available at the exact property. Confirm pet rules and responsibility for maintenance before move-in.

Check the drive to the gate you will actually use and, for families, the assigned school and child-care arrangements. Compare the routine at the times you expect to travel rather than relying on a single mileage estimate.

• Contact Army Housing Services

Moving into the barracks

The Army's September 2026 barracks guide offers general practical advice. Your unit supplies the local rules, room assignment and contacts.

• Inspect the room at move-in. Record existing damage, check the furniture inventory and complete the key and inspection paperwork.
• Save your barracks manager's and first-line leader's contacts. Ask about lockouts, visitors, quiet hours, permitted appliances and move-out requirements.
• Use the Army Maintenance Application (ArMA) for routine building repairs. Include the building, room, problem description and photos; track the request and tell your leader about unresolved issues.
• Take furnishings problems to the barracks manager. Report leaks or suspected mold promptly; document suspected growth without disturbing it.
• Call 911 for immediate danger. For emergency maintenance, call the local Directorate of Public Works (DPW) contact shown in ArMA rather than waiting for an online request.

• Open Army Maintenance Application

Set up utilities by address

1. Ask the property owner or housing office for the providers serving the exact address, including whether anything is included in the lease.
2. Confirm service directly with each provider. Arrange the start date before move-in and ask what identification, occupancy documents or deposit are required.
3. Keep account confirmations together. Record the move-in meter reading where practical and know how to report a water leak or outage.
4. Confirm which trash cart belongs to the home, the collection day, recycling arrangements and how to dispose of moving boxes or bulky items.

Electricity, gas and internet may require separate accounts. Ask whether the property uses natural gas at all before opening a gas account. For a private well or septic system, ask who maintains it and what the household must do. Keep an emergency contact for each service with your move-in documents.

Set up electric service

Confirm the electric provider for your exact address with the property owner, housing office or provider before applying. A city or county name alone does not identify which company serves the home. These links cover the main providers to check around Fort Stewart, Hunter Army Airfield and nearby communities.

Tap a provider box below to open its official service page. Arrange the start date before move-in, and confirm any identification, deposit or other requirements directly with the provider.

Plan for household-goods delivery

Keep shipment information and the moving company's contact details with you. As soon as your delivery address or availability changes, tell the company and the transportation office handling your move. Use the process assigned to your shipment for delivery requests and claims.

• Before delivery, plan where large items will go and make sure an authorized person will be present.
• Check delivered items against the inventory. Note missing items and visible damage, take useful photos and keep a copy of the delivery paperwork.
• Unpack and inspect promptly. Report problems through the required process rather than assuming a conversation with the crew completes a claim.
• Keep receipts and damaged items until you receive guidance. Notification of damage and filing an itemized claim can be separate steps with separate deadlines.
• If delivery is delayed or you need help with a dispute, contact the installation transportation office. Ask about the rules that apply before making purchases you expect someone else to reimburse.

• Get Stewart–Hunter moving assistance

While your belongings are in transit

Army Community Service's lending closet can help with temporary household basics. The local program lists items such as cookware, dishes, small kitchen appliances, irons, and folding tables and chairs.

Ask the relocation staff what is available, where to collect it and when it must be returned. Bring the identification and PCS paperwork they request. Arrange what you need for sleeping and personal care separately rather than assuming every household item can be borrowed.

• Check lending-closet arrangements

Keep healthcare connected through the move

For TRICARE households, moving involves more than finding a nearby clinic. Keep your DEERS contact information current and contact the appropriate plan contractor about enrollment, a primary care manager and existing referrals. Do not cancel your current plan simply because you are moving; follow TRICARE's instructions for your situation.

• Before departure, discuss ongoing treatment and medication needs with your current care team. Keep an accessible list of medications, allergies and providers.
• Arrange records transfers and ask whether referrals or authorizations need action at the new location.
• Confirm how eligible prescriptions will be transferred or filled. A change of address alone does not arrange every prescription.
• After arrival, verify your family's clinic and appointment arrangements. Winn Army Community Hospital serves Fort Stewart; Tuttle Army Health Clinic serves the Hunter community. Individual assignment and availability must be confirmed.
• Households using other insurance should similarly confirm the plan's local network and transfer ongoing care before supplies or appointments run out.

• Complete TRICARE moving steps
• Update DEERS contact information
• Winn and Tuttle care services

Settle pets in, too

Keep vaccination records, medication information and your veterinarian's contact details with you. Update the contact information attached to your pet's identification and microchip. Confirm the pet terms for your lodging and home before arrival, including any registration requirements.

The Fort Stewart Veterinary Treatment Facility provides pet services and post registration. Hunter arrangements can change, so confirm scheduling with the Stewart facility before planning a visit. Arrange local routine and urgent veterinary care instead of assuming the installation clinic can handle every need.

Keep a carrier, leash, food and records ready for a move or evacuation. Add pet needs to the same household plan you use for coastal weather.

• Check installation veterinary appointments

• Prepare for coastal weather

Find support and people to connect with

Army Community Service, often shortened to ACS, is a useful starting point when several parts of a move overlap. Families with additional medical, developmental or educational support needs can ask the Exceptional Family Member Program for help finding resources and arranging a handoff.

Employment Readiness offers help with resumes, applications, interviews and portable-career questions. This is career assistance, not a promise of a job. Bring a current resume and questions about the type of work or training you want to pursue.

Volunteering can help newcomers meet people and learn the area. The Army Volunteer Corps can explain current opportunities and how to get involved. Single service members can also connect with Better Opportunities for Single Soldiers, or BOSS, for activities, service opportunities and a way to raise quality-of-life concerns.

• Connect with Employment Readiness
• Find Army Volunteer Corps contacts
• Connect with BOSS