RAF Croughton

RAF Croughton is in Northamptonshire, near Brackley, about 20 miles north of Oxford. The 501st Combat Support Wing describes it as home of the 422d Air Base Group. This page is for service members of any branch assigned there. It does not print an OHA ceiling, because no official rate table checked for this guide listed one.

The same housing office also serves RAF Fairford. Read OHA in the UK for how the allowance works, and the PCS to the UK checklist for passports, pets, and shipping.

1. Housing: OHA, not BAH

Off base, housing money is Overseas Housing Allowance. DTMO describes OHA as a cost-reimbursement allowance with three parts: rent, a utility and recurring maintenance allowance, and a move-in housing allowance (MIHA). You are reimbursed for rent up to the lease or the allowance, whichever is less. Check current rate on the DTMO OHA calculator after you confirm the locality code.

The Air Force housing page for RAF Croughton says the tenancy agreement must include the U.S. military clause from 3rd Air Force or you will not receive OHA. Do not sign before the housing office reviews the lease. The 2026 welcome guide says to report to the housing office within two workdays of arrival.

That housing page says letting agents often charge £100 to £300 and that those fees are reimbursable. The welcome guide says you may have to pay the first month's rent in advance, in a range of £500 to £2,500, plus a security deposit of about one month. Those are ranges on installation pages, not a market average and not your OHA cap.

2. What rent actually looks like

Croughton and Brackley are in West Northamptonshire. ONS says the average private rent there was £1,084 a month in August 2026, up 3.3% from £1,049 a year earlier (ONS, page dated 16 September 2026).

Bedrooms	Average monthly rent, August 2026
1	£752
2	£954
3	£1,166
4 or more	£1,681

These are district averages. ONS does not publish a Croughton or Brackley split. The housing office suggests starting a search within 20 miles of Croughton, Brackley. Towns outside West Northamptonshire, such as Banbury, are a different council and are not in this table. Check current listings before you treat £1,166 as the rent you will pay.

3. Government housing and the housing office

The housing page lists government housing in three places: RAF Croughton (junior and senior enlisted), RAF Bicester (officers and senior enlisted), and Caversfield (some junior enlisted, SSgt and above, in that page's words). It says the inventory is two-, three-, and four-bedroom houses, and it says not to bring U.S.-spec refrigerators, freezers, microwaves, or washers and dryers. Those appliances are provided whether you are in government housing or a rental.

Apply for government housing with DD Form 1746. The page says a walk-in within 30 days of arrival can be backdated to the date you left your last installation. After 30 days, the application date is the walk-in date.

Unaccompanied housing rules on that page are written for Air Force dorms: E-1 to E-3, and E-4 with less than three years, are required to live in the dorms. Another service should ask the housing office what applies.

Housing office, from the same page: Building 62, (+44) 1280-708-951, DSN 314-236-8951, [email protected], Monday to Friday 8:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. GMT. The welcome guide adds that the office closes from noon to 1:00 p.m. A TLA fact sheet on housing.af.mil lists a different address, [email protected], for the TLA specialist. Use the address the office gives you.

A TLA fact sheet says you must report within two duty days or TLA can be at risk. It does not print a TLA amount. Check current rate with finance.

4. Council tax

West Northamptonshire Council describes a Class P exemption when someone who would be liable for council tax has a relevant association with a visiting force. That includes a member of the force, a member of a civilian component, or a dependant who is not a British citizen and is not ordinarily resident in the UK. The exemption can cover the dwelling even if other people live there. It does not apply when the person associated with the visiting force would not be the liable person. Email the details to [email protected] (West Northamptonshire exemptions).

You have to tell the council. This page does not print a council-tax band or a bill. Check current rules with the council and the housing office, and open every letter.

5. Schools

Two installation pages do not agree.

The housing page says kindergarten through 6th grade can attend DoDDS Croughton Elementary on base, and that families who choose a local British primary school are not reimbursed. For grades 7–12 it lists a local state school, home school, or a British independent school if Non-DoD Schools Program (NDSP) funding is accepted. It says NDSP can cover tuition and some fees under a yearly cap, and not uniforms, insurance, or meals. It does not print the cap. It lists a school liaison in Building 72 at (+44) 1280-707498, DSN 314-236-7498.

The 2026 welcome guide says there are no DoDEA schools near RAF Croughton and that children attend British state schools or private schools. It lists a different school-liaison number: 01280 708097, DSN 314-236-8097, [email protected].

The welcome guide says the child development center takes children from 6 weeks through 5 years, and school-age care takes ages 5–12. It does not print a fee. Request care at MilitaryChildCare.com. Check current rate for fees.

6. Getting around

The housing page says you need a valid state license before you PCS if you plan to drive, because you need it for a 3rd Air Force driving permit. The welcome guide says people who will drive must attend a local-conditions brief and pass the UK theory test. It does not get a pass mark on this page. Practice on GOV.UK. Traffic drives on the left. The Highway Code is the rule book.

Car insurance and an MOT fee are not printed here. Check current rates with insurers, and the MOT fee on GOV.UK. Fuel prices change weekly: use the GOV.UK weekly road fuel prices. No pump price is printed on this page.

7. COLA

COLA is separate from OHA. Check current rate on the DTMO COLA calculator. No amount is printed here.

Sample monthly costs

This is not a budget you can close. The rent figures are district averages. The allowance cells stay empty until you run the calculators.

Item	Monthly	Source
3-bedroom rent, district average	£1,166	ONS, August 2026
OHA rent reimbursement	Check current rate	DTMO calculator
Utility allowance	Check current rate	DTMO calculator
Council tax	Check current rules	Apply to West Northamptonshire
Energy, broadband, insurance	Check current rate	No figure on this page

Before you sign

1. Report to the housing office within two workdays, before you sign.
2. Confirm the locality code, then check current rate on the DTMO calculator.
3. Compare the ceiling with a real listing, not only the £1,166 district average.
4. Email West Northamptonshire about the visiting-forces exemption.
5. Ask the school liaison which school page is current.

Update log

Date	Change
Oct 2026	First version. No OHA ceiling printed. ONS rents for August 2026. Housing rules from housing.af.mil and the 2026 welcome guide. School pages disagree.