My chain of command just announced that they're going to inspect on and off-post housing. What are they allow to inspect?

Your chain of command isn’t allowed to enter your off post residence without your invitation. JBLM is conducting these inspections as well, but they are courtesy inspections, not mandatory. The intent is to make sure our Soldiers are being taken care of and not living in decrepit conditions because of bad landlords. You are not required to give entrance to them, and if you do you are not required to let them go anywhere you don’t want them to go. The police can’t even enter your house without your approval and they have legal authority. Your chain of command has no authority over your family or your home.

Off post housing is not under the jurisdiction of the military, last I knew anyway. I do not believe that the Army has legal capabilities of inspecting off post housing. On post....some bad stuff had to have happened for on post housing getting inspected as I have never heard of that before. I recommend you speak with JAG on this.

I found this one a little amusing. Not amused that you asked the question. More at the thought of my chain of command assuming they could inspect my home. Would have been amusing enough on post. But we owned the home we lived in off post.

I would have actually kind of enjoy watching this one. Show up at my house and I would feel inclined to just stand back and watch. My wife makes me look nice at times. She knew she wasn’t in control of a whole lot when we went back in. It would be so much fun to watch someone step into the one place she felt she still had some control, and act like they are in charge.

The phrase "Get a warrant" comes to mind. Because these quarters more often than not are occupied by civilians (even on base), this would be a violation of search and seizure protections guaranteed under the 4th Amendment.

I'm sorry, but I have never heard of off-post housing being subject to inspection.
What I am about to say is prefaced by the fact that this question came from a SNCO, not some 18 month SPC looking for a way to circumvent his CoC.....
Unless you provide permission, no one in your CoC has the authority to enter your private domicile. I'm sure a lawyer will tell you the same. Your spouse and children are not subject to military law. They certainly have a right to privacy.
I must ask; did something happen in your command that spurred such a drastic action? I was in a unit that had a huge drug bust back in the early 90s and because of it a bunch of people who didn't do anything wrong got their rights shit on. Is that the case here?
Bottom line, you are going to have to choose whether or not you allow this to happen. Much like a vampire, they need permission to enter. Once they have it, your life and the life of your family is open to all kinds of scrutiny. Choose wisely.

As a former commander, I never considered entering off-post housing as an option. I may have authority over the soldier but not his/her family. Since the housing is off-post, it falls under civilian jurisdiction. If I have reason to believe (through police reports and other reports) that the living conditions are unhealthy or unsafe, then I engage civilian authorities in the matter and/or have the soldier temporarily live in the barracks until the situation is resolved. I have the authority to inspect buildings occupied by my soldiers and no more.

But I know this because I started my career as an enlisted soldier and this was taught at the NCO Academy. NCOs are responsible for their troopers. As much as I wanted to ensure their health and welfare, my authority was limited, as it was when I became an officer. If my 1SG or CSM came to me with concerns about the living situation of a soldier, who lives off-post, I directed that NCOs handle this with the soldier not with an order to visit off-post housing. The PSG or Squad Leader should be aware of how the soldier is getting along at home. If they have concerns, then we talk to the soldier and determine the problem. But there is no legal or practical reason for me to go to off-post housing looking for problems.

Finally, unless someone with legal authority (warrant) is seeking to enter your house, you never give permission. If they end up at your front door, demanding entrance, you step outside and shut the door behind you. Your duty is to the Constitution and as such, knowing your rights is just as important as defending them. Hopefully, the Army and the country hasn't changed so much that this has been lost.

No. You are no required to allow a member of your chain of command to enter your off-post residence. Although I do recall making these visits to my junior enlisted Soldiers homes when I was a 2LT stationed in Germany 30+ years ago. Having just graduated from college I thought it was a waste of my time and a violation of the Soldier's privacy until I saw some of the conditions a few of them were living with their families. The good news is we were able to get a few emergency housing and landlords to make necessary repairs. So don't necessarily look at it as a negative. Many of your senior NCOs have all kinds of stuff in their garages and storage units that they might donate if they only knew you needed it.

No, they do not have jurisdiction to demand entry to your off base residence. Even CID, NCIS, or AFOSI would need either a warrant or exigent circumstances to enter your off post residence without your consent

Negative off base they can not. On base they have to have permission from your spouse. Unless there is an immediate threat or health and wellness going on for the kids or adults living in the house.

On base they may have the authority to inspect your living quarters since by being on a military base you authorize search any time. Off base housing not owned by the government, I think not! Unless they secure a search warrant I seriously doubt they have the authority to enter your place of residence unless you say they can. You might want to go talk to a legal beagle (military lawyer so you don't have to pay for it) and let them answer the question, legally. I think someone is overstepping their boundaries here.