Soldiers unable to PCS due to the COVID-19 outbreak and stop-movement order should mediate leasing disputes with landlords or property managers first, and then go to an on-post legal office if all else fails, according to an all-Army activities message released last week.

The Army G-1 issued the guidance to help soldiers and families who were planning to report to new duty stations in the coming months. The guidance includes templates for requesting lease terminations, rent pauses and order amendments.

“Landlords are not required by law to either terminate a lease or suspend rent payments based on the Department of Defense stop-movement order,” according to the G-1′s message.

If landlords don’t accommodate those requests, soldiers should go to their installation’s legal office, who will in turn coordinate issuing new orders with a later report date if warranted, according to the guidance. In most cases, Army Human Resources Command has already adjusted orders, but if not, soldiers can submit requests through their chain of command.

“Legal assistance attorneys can present these later orders to the landlord to cancel the lease obligation consistent with the [Service Member Civil Relief Act],” the G-1′s guidance reads.

The Service Member Civil Relief Act allows troops to terminate their lease agreement with permanent-change-of-station or deployment orders that exceed 90 days.

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Soldiers should try not to end their current leases until the Army lifts the stop-movement order or they receive an exception to policy that allows them to proceed with the move. Despite exceptions to policy being rare, they have been granted under some circumstances.

The Army advised soldiers to ask landlords to extend their current leases until they’re authorized to PCS, because there’s no legal requirement for a landlord to re-lease a property to an existing tenant, said Melissa Halsey, legal assistance policy division chief for the Army judge advocate general.

“We are suggesting service members contact their landlords directly and explain their situation,” Halsey said in a news release.

Soldiers should notify their chain of command if they already terminated their lease in preparation for a move and if their landlord refuses to let them continue to occupy the property, Halsey added. In cases like that, soldiers may be able to do a short-distance move with their household goods.

“If soldiers cancel their lease under the [Service Member Civil Relief Act], there is no mechanism to require a lease holder to re-lease the premises or vehicle, or to allow the soldiers and their families to retain their belongings on the premises after the effective termination date," the G-1 guidance reads.

For some soldiers and families, remaining at their current location could be the best decision. In cases like that, the Army is also allowing soldiers to stabilize at their current assignment rather than wait for the stop-movement order to be lifted.

Army personnel can also apply for a hardship pay if they’ve been impacted by the Pentagon’s stop-movement order. Hardship pay allows for $100 per day, not to exceed $1,500 per month, to defray a soldier and their family’s costs.

Kyle Rempfer was an editor and reporter who has covered combat operations, criminal cases, foreign military assistance and training accidents. Before entering journalism, Kyle served in U.S. Air Force Special Tactics and deployed in 2014 to Paktika Province, Afghanistan, and Baghdad, Iraq.

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