Renting Your San Antonio Home on PCS Orders: What to Do Before You Leave

Renting your home on PCS orders in San Antonio is one of the most common decisions military owners here make. Joint Base San Antonio sends people out on orders from Fort Sam Houston, Lackland and Randolph every year, and some of them own a home they are not ready to sell. At Harvest Real Estate Property Management, broker Betsy Nava-Flores has walked military families through this decision for years, including families with 30 days on the clock.

The hard part is not deciding to rent. It is getting the house ready while you are also packing, clearing quarters and handling everything else orders bring. This checklist puts the house in order before you go.

Everything else depends on what the home will rent for. That number tells you whether the rent covers your mortgage, taxes, insurance and HOA dues, and whether keeping the home makes sense at all.

Skip the online estimate. San Antonio is a big city, and a home near Lackland, one near Fort Sam Houston and one in a subdivision past Loop 1604 rent at very different prices. Ask for a free rental analysis in San Antonio built from comparable rentals near your home. If you are near Randolph, see PCS rentals in Schertz.

Repairs are far easier to decide on when you can stand in the kitchen and look at the problem. Walk the house with fresh eyes before you leave. A dripping faucet, a broken fence board, a garage door that sticks and a stained carpet all cost you rent or lease time if they are still there when renters tour the home.

Have the home photographed after it is cleaned and repaired but before the movers strip it bare, if you can. A home that looks cared for in photos rents faster than one shown as an empty shell.

• Your insurance agent. A homeowner's policy is usually not written for a rental. Ask about a landlord policy before a tenant moves in.
• Your mortgage lender. If you bought with a VA loan or have questions about renting the home out, ask your lender now rather than from your next duty station.
• Your HOA, if you have one. Many San Antonio-area HOAs have deed restrictions on leasing, such as minimum lease terms or tenant registration. The owner answers for a tenant's violations, so know the rules first.

Tax questions about renting a former home belong with your CPA.

Homes near JBSA can rent to service members. Texas law and the federal Servicemembers Civil Relief Act allow a military tenant to end a lease early in qualifying situations, such as PCS orders or deployment. That is not a reason to avoid military tenants. It is a reason to plan for it in the lease and in how renewals are timed.

You can manage a rental from another state, but every repair call, late payment and lease renewal will come to you across time zones. A PCS property manager handles the leasing, rent, repairs and inspections while you are away.

At Harvest, active-duty service members, veterans and military retirees pay 8% of rent charged each month, with a leasing fee of 50% of one month's rent when a tenant is placed. Owner draws go to your bank by direct deposit with a monthly statement, repairs up to $250 are handled without a call to you, and the home is inspected with photos every six months.

The best time to call is the week your orders arrive. Send us your report date and address or call 210-889-7495, and Betsy will tell you what your San Antonio home should rent for and what to do before you go.