Rules changing for base renters insurance Published April 3, 2015 Air Force News Service TINKER AIR FORCE BASE, Okla. -- Airmen who start a new lease after April 1 for privatized homes on Tinker AFB will no longer have renters insurance provided by the Balfour Beatty Communities, base officials said. However, current leaseholders, including anyone still within the first year of the term, will continue to have renters insurance provided by Balfour Beatty Communities until their current lease runs out, or until Dec. 31, whichever is later, officials said. For Airmen on a month-to-month basis, Balfour Beatty will cover renter's insurance through the end of the year. The changes stem from a Department of Defense decision to eliminate the renters insurance component of base allowance for housing (BAH), an average of $20 each month per member, as of Jan. 1. As a result of the BAH reduction, the Air Force removed requirements to provide renters insurance to military tenants at no cost, previously included in privatized housing projects . The decision was made to protect both Airmen and the housing program, said Mark Correll, the deputy assistant secretary of the Air Force for Environment, Safety and Infrastructure. As a result, Airmen who live in privatized housing may have to purchase renters insurance out of pocket, as their colleagues who live off base currently do. Independent rental insurance coverage is not required, Mr. Correll said, but it has always been highly recommended for all Airmen, whether they live on or off base, to fully cover their personal property and provide liability coverage. "Under the Claims Act, the government provides up to $40,000 worth of coverage to all Airmen who live in privatized housing situated on government-owned land," he said. "However, it does not apply at a few projects where some or all of the privatized housing is located on private land. "Also, that coverage only applies to personal belongings," he added. "It does not provide liability coverage and reimbursements may be limited under the Claims Act. Liability coverage is recommended to cover damage you, your pet or your belongings might cause to the house and other property." For questions about the changes at Tinker, call Community Manager Robert Whittington or Assistant Community Manager Danielle Beaver at 610-3637.