I remembering an nco getting divorced who 'had to' move back to base. He was never seen in the barracks, though.
Currently.
Assignment standards. Although law restricts BAH entitlement to the non-availability of government quarters, the services have the flexibility to require only members in lower paygrades to live on base because there is not enough unaccompanied housing for all. Other paygrades may live in unaccompanied housing, space permitting, once all unaccompanied personnel in the required paygrades are adequately assigned.
For example, Army policy no longer requires single E-6s stationed in the U.S. to live in barracks; that applies only to E-5s and below. However, in foreign countries, higher paygrades can be required to live on base.
The Air Force has placed a high priority on dormitory quality of life, centralizing the military construction program to replace the worst dorms first. Operations and maintenance dollars will be used to renovate dorms in order of priority of condition until new facilities can be built.
All single airmen in paygrades E-1 to E-3, and E-4s with less than three years of service, are provided unaccompanied housing. Air Force policy allows E-4s and above with at least three years of service to live off base, regardless of the on-base dormitory occupancy rate.
Coast Guard personnel stationed on ships of less than 1,000 gross tons are assigned government rooms ashore when in port. Crews of small Coast Guard cutters often occupy government-leased apartments.
The Marine Corps requires all single personnel in paygrades E-5 and below to live on base.
Navy policy requires all single sailors, E-1 to E-3 and E-4s with less than four years of service, to live in unaccompanied housing. Based on local conditions, as many E-4s with more than four years of service as possible should be living in unaccompanied housing. Enlisted sailors on sea duty who are authorized BAH to live in the local community do not have to give up their allowance when deployed.