Government unveils new charter to improve military housing

The Labour Government has announced a series of new measures aimed at significantly improving the standard of housing for armed forces families, introducing what Defence Secretary John Healey described as a “Consumer Charter” for military accommodation.

The initiative, announced on 18 April, is intended to guarantee higher move-in standards, more reliable repairs, and better communication with residents, including a named housing officer for every family.

The government says all measures will be in place before the one-year anniversary of its decision to bring over 36,000 military homes back into public ownership, a move designed to end daily rent payments to a private firm and save the taxpayer an estimated £600,000 per day.

According to the Ministry of Defence, the Charter will be included in a Defence Housing Strategy, due later this year, which will outline a broader plan for upgrading Service Family Accommodation (SFA) across the UK. It follows a long period of decline in housing satisfaction levels under the previous government. A 2023 report by the Defence Select Committee found that two-thirds of SFA was “essentially no longer fit for purpose”, and warned of its impact on recruitment, retention, and morale in the Armed Forces.

Under the new Consumer Charter, military families will be promised:

• A stronger move-in standard, ensuring homes are clean, functional, and ready on time;
• Access to photographs and floor plans when applying for housing;
• A commitment to complete urgent repairs within set timeframes, in line with Awaab’s Law;
• A new online portal for managing repairs;
• An initial refurbishment of up to 1,000 of the worst homes, as a first step in a larger renewal programme;
• A named housing officer for each family;
• A simplified two-stage complaints process;
• Policies allowing families greater freedom to make home improvements.

The Defence Housing Strategy will be guided by an independent review team, chaired by Natalie Elphicke Ross, a former MP and housing expert, with input from both industry and forces families.

The announcement follows Labour’s decision in August 2024 to cancel a planned £40 million contract for VIP helicopter services used by former Prime Minister Rishi Sunak, reallocating resources to what the government describes as “frontline needs.”

Defence Secretary Healey said the reforms would “transform living conditions” and offer armed forces families the consumer rights they have long lacked.

The government framed the move as a response to years of underinvestment, with nearly 53,000 housing complaints lodged by military families between 2018 and 2023, including a 40% rise in mould and damp complaints between 2022 and 2023.

The new housing policy marks one of Labour’s most high-profile defence-related domestic reforms since returning military housing to public ownership in December last year.