Renting out your home when PCS orders send you away

Should I rent or sell when I get PCS orders?

Rent if you want to keep the home and can cover the costs while you are away. Sell if you need the cash or want a clean break. A PCS, or permanent change of station, forces this choice on a timeline you did not pick.

This page is for service members who own a home in Southern Maryland and must move. It is not about who to rent to. We rent to any qualified applicant, and every applicant goes through the same screening.

Here are the main points to weigh.

The IRS has a rule that helps owners on orders. Normally you must have owned and lived in a home for at least 2 of the last 5 years to exclude gain when you sell it. If you or your spouse are on qualified official extended duty in the Uniformed Services, you may elect to suspend that five-year test period for up to 10 years. Qualified duty means more than 90 days or an indefinite period at a duty station at least 50 miles from your main home, or in government housing under government orders. Read the details in IRS Topic 701 and Publication 523.

We are not tax advisors. Rental income is taxable, and your situation is specific. Our rental property taxes guide lists the questions to bring to a tax professional or a CPA. Our general rent or sell page covers the same choice for any owner.

How long does it take to rent a home near NAS Patuxent River?

It depends on the home, the price and the season. We cannot give one number, so we make a promise instead. If we don’t rent your property in 29 days or less, you do not pay a management fee for the first month. That promise is included at no extra cost in the Gold and Platinum plans.

Start early. A home that is clean, repaired and priced from comparable rentals leases faster than one listed the week you leave. See what rent-ready means before you list.

Places to know. These are facts about employers and locations, not about who should live in a home:

• Naval Air Station Patuxent River is the largest employer in St. Mary’s County. A county report says it supports more than 52,317 direct, indirect and induced jobs in Lexington Park and the area around it.
• Naval Support Facility Indian Head is in Charles County. The Navy says it is “strategically situated less than 30 miles south of the nation’s capital.”

A home near either place rents on the same terms as any other home. Condition, price and location relative to jobs and roads matter. We use comparable rentals, not a base name, to set the rent.

One owner who was stationed at Pax River and got orders to China on short notice told us he first thought he would sell. He did not have the time or equity. He rented instead. His words: “The whole process to rent the home only took about a month, all via email, e-signatures and wire transfers.” That is his experience, and results vary by home.

What rights does a service member tenant have to end a lease?

A tenant who is a service member can end a residential lease early under federal law. The Servicemembers Civil Relief Act, or SCRA, covers this. The Department of Justice explains the rule.

The lease must be for a home the service member or a dependent will live in. The lease must also meet one of these conditions:

1. The person signed the lease and later entered military service.
2. The person was already in service and later got PCS orders or deployment orders for at least 90 days.

The service member must give written notice and a copy of their orders, or a letter from a commanding officer. The notice may be sent electronically, by mail or by hand. Military OneSource tells service members to give notice at least 30 days before they plan to leave. For monthly rent, the Department of Justice says the lease ends 30 days after the next rent payment is due.

What does this mean for you as an owner? Any tenant, whether or not they are in the military, can have a life event that ends a lease early. A service member’s right is written into federal law. If you rent to a covered tenant, plan for the lease to end sooner than the date on paper. Keep a reserve for vacancy and turnover costs. See the vacancy rate definition and our wear and tear guide.

Our fee plans help here. If we place a tenant and the tenant leaves before the lease ends, we find you a new qualified tenant for free. That promise lasts 180 days on Silver and 365 days on Gold and Platinum. Check the fees page for the exact terms.

What is a military clause and should my lease have one?

A military clause is a lease term that lets a service member end the lease early when orders arrive. It matters to you in two ways. You may be the service member, or your tenant may be one.

Real Property Management Gold says: “As a military owner, we can also include a military clause that will allow you or your tenant to terminate the lease agreement in the event of receiving orders.” That helps you if you get orders to return home and want to move back in. It also gives a tenant a clear path if their orders change.

Military OneSource gives a warning to service members. Some landlords add a separate SCRA waiver to the paperwork. If a service member legally waives SCRA rights, they may not be able to end the lease early without significant penalties. Military OneSource does not recommend signing documents that take away SCRA rights. We do not build the lease around a waiver. Ask us for the lease terms before you list.

Talk to an attorney if you have a question about a specific clause. This page cannot tell you whether a clause will hold up in your case.

Can I manage my rental from another state or overseas?

Yes. We handle the work you cannot do from far away. We market the home, screen applicants, write the lease, collect rent and coordinate repairs. You follow it all in your online owner portal, which you can open from anywhere. See the owners page for what the account shows.

Here is how a typical long-distance start works:

1. You send us the address, your timeline and the date you expect to leave.
2. We give you a rent estimate and walk you through the Silver, Gold and Platinum plans.
3. You sign the management agreement electronically.
4. We prepare the home, photograph it and list it.
5. We screen applicants and tell you who we recommend. You make the final call.
6. The tenant signs, we collect the deposit and the first month, and we schedule the move-in.
7. You watch rent and reports online. We pay you after rent is collected.

We hold a maintenance reserve in your account so small repairs do not wait for you to answer from another time zone. For larger repairs, we get an estimate and you authorize the work.

You can also call the office at (301) 392-2172 and reach a live person.

What if I rent to a service member and they get orders?

Treat it like any early move-out. The tenant gives written notice and a copy of orders. The lease ends 30 days after the next rent payment is due, if the tenant is covered and gave proper notice. We then handle the move-out inspection, return the deposit within the legal deadline and list the home again.

Maryland rules on deposits apply the same way to every tenant. The deposit may not exceed 1 month’s rent. You must return it, with any interest owed, within 45 days after the tenancy ends. Read our security deposit guidelines for details.

A plan helps. We tell owners to expect that any lease can end early. Our tenant replacement promise, the inspection schedule and a reserve for vacancy all reduce the shock. We also screen every applicant the same way, whether or not they serve in the military. Our own advice on this topic is that you should not limit your search to one group of applicants, and that all tenants should go through the same screening process. The post Should You Rent to Military Personnel in Southern Maryland? explains the reasons.

What does BAH have to do with my rent price?

Very little, and it should not set your rent. BAH, or Basic Allowance for Housing, is money paid to a service member to help with housing costs in a local market. The Defense Travel Management Office says BAH “is not intended to cover all of a service member’s housing costs.”

BAH matters to you in a different way. If you are the service member, BAH at your new duty station pays for housing there. The rent from your Southern Maryland home helps cover the mortgage, taxes and insurance on the home you left. The two amounts work together in your budget. They are not the same number.

For reference, these are 2026 BAH rates for two Southern Maryland ZIP codes. We read them from the Defense Travel Management Office calculator in October 2026. Amounts are monthly. Look up your own rate at the DTMO BAH calculator, because pay grade, dependent status and location all change it.

The table shows the allowance a service member living in that area receives. It does not show market rent. A rent for your home comes from comparable rentals in your town, not from this table. For a local number, use our rent check tool or ask for a free assessment.

Do I need a rental license or lead registration?

Maybe. Rules differ by county, and your status as a service member can change them. This list is current as of October 2026.

The Prince George’s exemption has conditions, so do not assume it applies. Our rental license guide lists the sources, and the lead paint compliance guide covers registration, with a fee of $30 per unit per year listed on the state page. Your county or town office has the final word.

Also ask your lender and your insurer what they require before you rent. Rental use can change the terms of a loan or a policy. Our rental property insurance guide lists what to ask. Ultimate landlord protection is available to Platinum clients only. Real Property Management Gold is not a licensed insurance broker. Please refer to the insurance policy for coverage information.

This page is general information, not legal advice. Laws change; check the linked official source or talk to a Maryland attorney. For military legal questions, use your installation’s legal assistance office.

How do I start before my move date?

Start as soon as you have orders, even before you know your report date. A few weeks of lead time lets us prepare the home well. Follow these steps:

1. Get your orders and your likely departure date.
2. Contact us for a free assessment and a rent estimate.
3. Talk to your lender, your insurer and a tax professional.
4. Choose a plan and sign the management agreement.
5. Finish repairs and cleaning so the home is rent-ready.
6. Let us list the home, screen applicants and choose a lease start date.
7. Set up your owner account so you can see activity from your new post.

If your home is already rented and you want us to take over, there is no tenant placement fee when a lease is already in place. For fees, a tenant placement fee of 6.9% of the 1-year lease total applies when we place the tenant, charged once after move-in. Monthly management is 8.9% (Silver), 10.9% (Gold) or 12.9% (Platinum) of the rent. Inspections are $199. See property management fees, property management services and the Southern Maryland owner hub.

Next step

Request a free assessment at contact us or call (301) 392-2172. Send us your timeline and we will tell you what the home can rent for.