UNCLASSIFIED (U)

15 FAM 230

ALLOCATING RESIDENTIAL SPACE

(CT:OBO-86; 06-10-2019)
(Office of Origin: OBO)

15 FAM 231 POOLED HOUSING

(CT:OBO-60; 11-02-2017)

All U.S. Government-held leased housing is pooled for assignment purposes, except designated and dedicated residences.

15 FAM 232 ALLOCATING U.S. GOVERNMENT-OWNED (GO) RESIDENTIAL SPACE

(CT:OBO-60; 11-02-2017)

Each post establishes a policy to ensure equitable distribution of existing U.S. Government-owned (GO) properties among the direct-hire employees of foreign affairs agencies and the Defense Intelligence Agency (DIA) at post. (See principles outlined in 15 FAM 261.)

15 FAM 233 ALLOCATING LEASED RESIDENTIAL SPACE

(CT:OBO-60; 11-02-2017)

Post assigns leased residences to best meet the overall interests of the U.S. Government, post needs, and the professional and personal needs of all U.S. citizen personnel under chief-of-mission (COM) authority (including contractors where housing is guaranteed in their contracts), regardless of agency affiliation. Agencies pay rent for all leased housing that their employees occupy. When an employee transfers, the post interagency housing board (IAHB) may assign personnel of one agency to residential quarters previously funded by another agency, with subsequent shifts in funding responsibility. (See 15 FAM 164.)

15 FAM 234 PREASSIGNING HOUSING

(CT:OBO-60; 11-02-2017)

a. The IAHB should assign all new employees to appropriate housing, as stated in the interagency housing policy, prior to their arrival at post. Agencies must provide the general services office (GSO) 120 days notice of an employees arrival at post, and the IAHB should make an assignment at least 60 days prior to that arrival date. (See CMI USS for Leasing (6148).) Communication with the employee enables post management and posts IAHB to consider employee needs in making these assignments. Effective management of a U.S. Government leasing program minimizes costly temporary quarters subsistence allowance (TQSA) and related expenses, as well as the carrying cost of vacant units.

b. After assignment and the approval of any required lease waivers, post should send the assignment details, including floor plans and photos, to the employee as far in advance as possible.

15 FAM 235 DESIGNATED AND DEDICATED HOUSING

15 FAM 235.1 Designated Residences

(CT:OBO-60; 11-02-2017)

Residences, whether U.S. Government-owned or -leased, must be designated for the ambassador, deputy chief of mission (DCM), consul general or consul (when principal officer (PO)), U.S. representative to an international organization abroad (when PO); and Marine security guard detachment. Such properties are exempt from the space standards outlined in 15 FAM.

15 FAM 235.2 Designating a Residence

(CT:OBO-82; 04-19-2019)

a. Post must obtain Bureau of Overseas Buildings Operations (OBO) concurrence before designating any residence (whether U.S. Government-owned or -leased) for the ambassador, DCM (for posts with 35 or more USDH employees), consul general (when PO), U.S. representative to an international organization abroad (when PO), or the Marine security guard detachment. The Acquisitions and Disposals Office, Directorate of Planning and Real Estate, Bureau of Overseas Buildings Operations (OBO/PRE/OAD), designates any of the above residences at the time of purchase if they are acquired for that specific purpose. The Office of Real Property Leasing, Directorate of Planning and Real Estate, Bureau of Overseas Buildings Operations (OBO/PRE/RPL), designates them at the time of initial lease and in situations where a property is already in the housing pool but was originally acquired for a different purpose.

b. Whether the proposed designated residence is to be acquired through purchase or lease, post must furnish OBO/PRE with floor plans, site plans, photographs, and other information (as required) to facilitate a multidisciplinary evaluation of the proposed property. Submit such requests via cable to OBO/PRE/OAD or OBO/PRE/RPL, depending on the property interest. OBO, in consultation with the Bureau of Diplomatic Security (DS) and the appropriate regional bureau, will determine if the proposed designated residence meets the following criteria:

(1) Functional requirements for representational spaces, as approved by OBO/OPS/RDF and OBO/PDCS/DE/AD (respectively, the Office of Residential Design and Furnishings, Directorate of Operations, Bureau of Overseas Buildings Operations and the Architectural Design Division, Office of Design and Engineering, Directorate of Program Development, Coordination, and Support, Bureau of Overseas Buildings Operations);

(2) Barrier-free access standards (see 15 FAM 264.3);

(3) Security standards;

(4) Safety, health, and environmental standards and requirements (see 15 FAM 970);

(5) Fire and life safety standards and requirements (see 15 FAM 812.5);

(6) Natural Hazards Safety Seismic Safety (see 15 FAM 252.6);

(7) Availability of OBO funding for furniture and furnishings;

(8) OBO funding for purchase or lease;

(9) DS funding for security upgrades; and

(10) Regional bureau funding for official residence expense (ORE) support.

15 FAM 235.3 Dedicated Housing

(CT:OBO-60; 11-02-2017)

The senior representative of each foreign affairs agency (U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID), Foreign Agriculture Service of the Department of Agriculture (FAS), and the Department of Commerce (DOC)) and the senior Defense official/Defense attach (SDO/DATT)) will receive housing. Said housing will be within the standards for a family of four at the grade tier corresponding to the position, unless the family size exceeds four. (See 15 FAM 262.) If the family size exceeds four and cannot be housed in the dedicated house, then post should obtain approval to lease a nondedicated, appropriately sized residence through the lease-waiver process. (See 15 FAM 321 and 15 FAM 322.)

15 FAM 236 PRIVATE LEASES

(CT:OBO-82; 04-19-2019)

The same space standards governing U. S. Government-held housing also govern privately leased housing acquired either by civilian employees under the living quarters allowance (LQA) program, or military personnel under the overseas housing allowance (OHA) program. It must meet the residential security standards outlined in 12 FAH-6 H-130. Posts IAHB, the COM, the regional security officer/post security officer (RSO/PSO), and the post occupational safety and health officer (POSHO) must approve units proposed for private leases in advance. (See procedures in both 12 FAM and 15 FAM 970.) Private leases must also meet the requirements of 15 FAM 812.5 established by the Office of Fire Protection, Directorate of Operations, Bureau of Overseas Buildings Operations (OBO/OPS/FIRE). GSO should retain a copy of the lease and upload it to the record in the real property application (RPA).

15 FAM 237 DETERMINING RESIDENTIAL SPACE AUTHORIZATIONS

(CT:OBO-60; 11-02-2017)

a. An employees position rank and family size at the time of arrival at post determine their maximum residential space authorization, adjusted for locality factors. The 15 FAM 264 explains the application of these factors in special circumstances. The 15 FAM Exhibit 237(1) and 15 FAM Exhibit 237(2) define the maximum space authorizations; the 15 FAM 312.8 and 15 FAM 322 contain the waiver provisions.

b. This chapter establishes the maximum allowable space standards; do not construe them as entitlements or goals for U.S. Government employees abroad. These regulations are not intended to preclude agencies from adopting smaller space standards for certain categories of personnel, in keeping with the nature of their roles in the U.S. Governments conduct of foreign relations.

15 FAM 238 COMPUTING SPACE

(CT:OBO-60; 11-02-2017)

Residential space standards are based on usable living space. (See 15 FAM Exhibit 238(1), 15 FAM Exhibit 238(2), and 15 FAM Exhibit 238(3) for details on computing nonresidential and residential net and gross spaces.) As federal regulations require, if measurements are done in feet, posts should convert and maintain these in metric scale. RPA displays the measurements in both meters and feet.

15 FAM 239 Unassigned

15 FAM Exhibit 237(1)
Space Standards Charts Shown in Square Feet and Square Meters

(CT:OBO-34; 10-18-2013)

LOCALITY 1

LOCALITY 2 (10 Percent Increase over Locality 1)

LOCALITY 3 (10 Percent Increase over Locality 2)

15 FAM Exhibit 237(2)
Post Locality Types

(CT:OBO-86; 06-10-2019)

Posts not listed will be given the highest rating shown for their country.

15 FAM Exhibit 238(1)
Measuring Space for Nonresidential Property

(CT:OBO-60; 11-02-2017)

Net space includes all space used for and related to nonresidential areas of the property, measured from wall-to-wall inside the structure, e.g., offices, storerooms, workshops, eating and food service/preparation areas, and finished storage areas. This includes all such areas that appear under the same property ID, whether incorporated in the same structure or not.

Net space excludes elevator lobbies, mechanical equipment and generator rooms, transformer vaults, communication vaults, telephone electrical closets, janitor closets and toilets, hallways, stairways and stairwells, elevator shafts, chimney shafts, dumbwaiter shafts and similar installations, inner courtyards or enclosed walkways leading from one section of a building to another, and outside porches/terraces/balconies. Measure only actual floor space; do not measure open areas that extend through the floor, such as skylights or entryways that are several floors high. Do not measure exterior walls and thicknesses of interior partitions.

Gross space includes all areas on all floors within the normal outside surface of the exterior walls. This includes all nonresidential areas listed above (offices, etc.), all attics and basements if a person can walk upright and they are easily accessible (finished or unfinished), parking garages, hallways, enclosed walkways, mechanical rooms that are part of the main structure, stairwells, elevator shafts, chimney shafts, and dumbwaiters or similar installations. Exclude crawl spaces in attics and basements, even if used for storage. Measure these areas as if the actual floor was in existence on each level and there were no stairway, elevator, or other shaft.

Gross space excludes separate outside generators, uninterruptible power supply (UPS), and other equipment sheds; loading platforms; outside porches, terraces, or parking lots and open (but covered) outside parking.

NOTE: Gross area must be greater than net. All net space is automatically included in gross space. Areas not included in gross should not be included in net area.

15 FAM Exhibit 238(2)
Measuring Space for Residential Properties

(CT:OBO-60; 11-02-2017)

Net space includes all usable living space on all floors, measured from wall-to-wall within each room. These include reception rooms, ballrooms, living rooms, dining rooms, bedrooms, kitchens (from wall-to-wall, including cupboard/ counter space), breakfast and eating areas, pantries (unless exclusively storage space), libraries, dens/studies, family and recreation rooms, powder rooms, bathrooms, dressing rooms, enclosed patios/terraces/balconies (if usable year-round). If the employee would normally use the attic or basement as living space, and they are furnished by post (other than storage racks only), include them in net space measurements.

Net space excludes open balconies, garages, halls, foyers, stairwells, elevator and chimney shafts, dumbwaiters, domestic staff quarters (only if specifically designed as such), utility shafts/closets, laundry or household appliance rooms, built-in closets (or space occupied by wardrobes), furnace/fuel rooms, and storage areas. If live-in help occupies space that would otherwise be used by the occupant as living space, this space does not qualify as domestic staff quarters and must be included in the net total. Do not measure exterior walls and thickness of interior partitions when measuring usable space. If portions of residential space must be used for official storage, post should request a waiver from the OBO to deduct it from net area.

Gross space includes all areas on all floors within the normal outside surface of the exterior walls (hallways, foyers, and finished/unfinished attics and basements) if they are (a) unfurnished (other than storage racks only), (b) large enough for a person to walk upright, and (c) easily accessible. Exclude crawl spaces in attics and basements. Also include stairwells, elevator and chimney shafts, and dumbwaiters or similar installations. Measure these areas as if the actual floors were in existence on each level and there were no stairway, elevator, or other shaft. Gross space includes mechanical equipment rooms, garages, and servants quarters that are incorporated in the main structure and part of the residence.

Gross space excludes separate outbuildings (garages, sheds, and domestic staff quarters). If they are significant in size or function, report them as ancillary structures. Gross space also excludes open courtyards or walkways leading from one building (or section of a building to another), loading platforms, outside porches, outside stairs, terraces, parking lots, parking spaces and storage rooms located on a different floor of an apartment building, and open (but covered) outside parking.

NOTE: Gross area must be greater than net. All net space is automatically included in gross. Areas not included in gross should not be included in net area.

15 FAM Exhibit 238(3)
Conversion Table Metric/English Measure

(CT:OBO-60; 11-02-2017)

Measure gross and net space in square meters or square feet. Federal regulations require OBO to maintain metric measurements. The following table may be helpful when converting.

English and metric measurements:

Square Meters x 10.764 = Square Feet

Square Feet x .093 = Square Meters

Fractions should not be carried beyond two decimal places and may be rounded to the nearest whole number.

UNCLASSIFIED (U)