Government announces new measures to improve military family housing

The Government claims it is set to transform living conditions for families in military housing, including the numerous homes on and around Lincolnshire RAF stations.

Defence Secretary John Healey has announced Labour’s new Consumer Charter for families will rapidly introduce consumer rights in military family housing, including higher move-in standards, more reliable repairs, renovation of the worst homes, and a named housing officer for every family.

RAF Cranwell. The government is pledging to improve standards in forces family homes across the UK within a year after taking back control of more than 36,000 properties from a private landlord.

placeholder image — RAF Cranwell. The government is pledging to improve standards in forces family homes across the UK within a year after taking back control of more than 36,000 properties from a private landlord.

All measures are proposed to be in place within a year of the government bringing back 36,000 military homes into public ownership that had previously been offloaded to be managed by a private agency.

The Charter will come as part of a new Defence Housing Strategy, published later this year, which will set out further plans to improve the standard of service family homes across the country.

Satisfaction with the standard of Service Family Accommodation (SFA) fell to record lows in 2023, while the Defence Select Committee reported that two thirds of SFA was ‘essentially no longer fit for purpose’.

The Committee found that quality of housing was having a significant impact on Armed Forces recruitment, retention and morale.

Between 2018 and 2023, military families lodged almost 53,000 complaints about their housing. Complaints about damp and mould increased by 40 per cent between 2022 and 2023.

Labour’s new Consumer Charter builds on the government’s landmark deal to bring 36,347 military homes back into public ownership, which it says will save the taxpayer £600,000 per day by eliminating rental payments to a private company.

The charter commits to:

- A strengthened move-in standard so families can have confidence that the home they are moving into will be ready on time and will be clean and functional.

- Improved, clearer information for families ahead of a move, including photographs and floor plans of all homes when a family applies for housing.

- More reliable repairs, including an undertaking to complete urgent repairs within a set timeline consistent with Awaab’s Law, and a new online portal for service personnel to manage repairs.

- Raising the minimum standard of forces family housing with a new programme of works targeted at the worst homes, with up to 1,000 refurbished as a downpayment on the broader programme of renewal to be set out in the Defence Housing Strategy.

- Better and clearer communication for families, including a named housing officer for every service family who they can contact for specific housing related queries.

- A new, simpler complaints process that will shorten the process to two stages in line with industry best practice, so that service personnel and families have a quicker resolution, backed up by the new Armed Forces Commissioner.

- Modernising policies to allow more freedom for families to make improvements, giving them a greater sense of pride in their homes.

It is part of a wider package that will introduce basic consumer rights for military families, from essential property information to a robust complaints system.

The Defence Housing Strategy will be supported by an independent review team, and which will be chaired by former Member of Parliament and housing expert Natalie Elphicke Ross, drawing on expertise from industry and forces families.