Homes fit for heroes: Raft of new measures to improve military family housing

Living conditions for families in military housing will be transformed under a new Consumer Charter, as Defence Secretary John Healey promised to “stop the rot” in military housing.

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

Under the Charter, basic consumer rights, from essential property information and predictable property standards, to access to a robust complaints system, will be rapidly introduced. These will be underpinned by new, published satisfaction figures, putting forces families front and centre.

The wider Defence Housing Strategy – overseen by the Defence Secretary and the Minister for Veterans and People, Al Carns – will also turbocharge the development of surplus military land, creating opportunities for Armed Forces homeownership. It will further support the delivery of affordable homes for families across Britain as part of the government's Plan for Change.

It follows the Government's landmark deal, completed in January, to bring back 36,000 military homes into public ownership, reversing a 1996 sale described by the Public Accounts Committee as “disastrous”, and saving the taxpayer £600,000 per day by eliminating rental payments to a private company.

The announcement follows the Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer's pledge to deliver “homes for heroes” and means that under this government, support will be there for veterans at risk of homelessness. This included removing local connection tests for veterans seeking social housing, meaning as of November, veterans will have access to the housing support they need.

Defence Secretary, John Healey MP, said:

"Our Armed Forces serve with extraordinary dedication and courage to keep us safe. It is only right that they and their families live in the homes they deserve.

"For too long, military families have endured substandard housing without the basic consumer rights that any of us should expect in our homes. That must end and our new Consumer Charter will begin to stop the rot and put families at the heart of that transformation.

"We cannot turn around years of failure on forces housing overnight, but by bringing 36,000 military homes back into public ownership, we've already taken greater control and are working at pace to drive up standards. This is about providing homes fit for the heroes who serve our nation, and I'm determined to deliver the decent, affordable housing that our forces families have every right to expect."

The new Consumer Charter will include the following commitments: 

1. 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.

1. Improved, clearer information for families ahead of a move, including photographs and floor plansof all homes when a family applies for housing.
   
   
2. 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.
   
   
3. 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.
   
   
4. Better and clearer communication for families, including a named housing officer for every service family who they can contact for specific housing related queries.
   
   
5. 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.
   
   
6. Modernising policies to allow more freedom for families to make improvements, giving them a greater sense of pride in their homes.

These improvements will be in place by the one-year anniversary of the announcement to buy back military homes last December, with final detail to be set out in the Defence Housing Strategy following consultation with military personnel and their families.

Many of the commitments in the Charter will be achieved by driving better performance – and better value for the taxpayer – from existing suppliers of maintenance and support for service family housing.

The new standards will be underpinned by new published customer satisfaction measures and enhanced accountability so families can have confidence in the improvements being made. This will sit alongside an independently conducted stock survey, as recommended by the Kerslake review of military housing which was published last year.

The Defence Housing Strategy will be driven by an independent review team whose members have been announced today, and which will be chaired by former Member of Parliament and housing expert Natalie Elphicke Ross OBE, drawing on expertise from industry and forces families.

Notes to editors:

In the meantime, the Defence Secretary and the Minister for Veterans and People have instructed the MOD to immediately plan improvements for the new Consumer Charter, as part of a short-term action plan to enhance the family homes after years of neglect.

Natalie Elphicke Ross, Chair of the Defence Housing Strategy Review said:

“Our pride in our armed forces must include pride in our military homes. Delivering better housing, boosting home ownership opportunities for service personnel and improving the experiences of service families will be at the heart of our work.”

David Brewer, Chief Operating Officer of the Defence Infrastructure Organisation, said:

“We are dedicated to making changes that will bring real improvements to the lives of families living in military homes and the plans set out in the new charter are an important step towards doing this.

“The advisory team, announced today, brings together an exceptional group of individuals, who through their expertise and experience will help ensure our housing strategy maximises benefits, not just to families living in military homes, but to communities and industry more widely.” 

Antony Cotton MBE said:

“Our Armed Forces community are the backbone of our society, so improving the standard of service family housing is essential if we are to continue to retain and recruit the soldiers, sailors and aviators that protect us selflessly, every day. I welcome this consumer charter as a starting point to give our military families an improved service, and homes they deserve.”

The members appointed to the Defence Housing Strategy review team are: 

• Chair, Natalie Elphicke Ross OBE, Director and Head of Housing at The Housing & Finance Institute. Previously Natalie chaired the New Homes Quality Board on standards and redress for customers of new build homes, co-chaired the Elphicke-House Report 2015 on the role of local authorities in housing supply and served as an expert adviser on the development of the national strategy for estate regeneration. A former law firm partner specialising in housing finance, Natalie's experience includes advising central and local governments, lenders, developers and housing associations on financing, structuring and delivering homes across all tenures.

• Bill Yardley, Chair of McCarthy Stone Shared Ownership Limited. Bill serves as Chair of a regulated residential development company and is a Non- Executive Director at the Defence Infrastructure Organisation, in the Houses of Parliament and at the Surrey Property Group Limited. He has previously worked at board level in the public and private sectors in residential development, regulated housing, property investment, education and the NHS and has been a public member of Network Rail and chaired a charity. Bill has also served as a Crown Representative and on the Government Construction Board.

• Cat Calder, Housing Specialist, Army Families Federation. Cat is a housing professional with over 13 years of experience advocating for improved living conditions for families in military accommodation. She has held key positions within the Army Families Federation and has direct experience of military housing, having previously lived in service family accommodation for a number of years.

• Nigel Holland, former Divisional Chair, Taylor Wimpey and Non-Executive Director of The Riverside Group. Formerly a Divisional Chair of Taylor Wimpey, one of the UK's largest residential developers. Nigel is also a Non-Executive Director of The Riverside Group, a major provider of affordable housing, care and support services in England and Scotland, with more than 75,000 homes in management. He has a wealth of experience in the homebuilding industry, leading large-scale developments in the UK and overseas. 

• Alex Notay, Chair and Commissioner, Radix Big Tent Housing Commission. Alexandra is an internationally recognised expert on housing, placemaking and ESG. She has 20 years' strategic advisory and investment experience across four continents and in August 2024 took over as Chair of the Radix Big Tent Housing Commission. Until July 2024 she was Placemaking and Investment Director at Thriving Investments, the fund and asset management arm of Places for People Group, overseeing a UK-wide residential strategy.

• James Hall, Housing and Land, Greater London Authority. James has over a decade's experience in housing and development, working with the public, private and not-for-profit sectors. He worked extensively on strategy, policy and communications in Westminster and Whitehall, and most recently worked at the Greater London Authority on housing policy and delivery.

Background to the Annington Homes deal:

In a landmark deal completed in January, the Ministry of Defence (MOD) bought back 36,347 military homes, making major redevelopment and improvements possible. The deal is part of the Government's drive to boost military morale, tackle recruitment and retention challenges and renew the nation's contract with those who serve. 

The original agreement with Annington Homes Ltd did not strike an appropriate balance of risk and reward, and was estimated to leave the taxpayer nearly £8 billion worse off as a result – money which should have been better spent on maintaining and improving our service family homes. 

Taxpayers being £8 billion worse off as a result of the deal:  

• £4.3 billion spent in rent.  
• 18,000 properties handed back to Annington – with an estimated current market value of £5.2 billion.  
• £1.7 billion income generated in 1996 for the taxpayer as part of the original deal.  
• Total - £7.8 billion worse off. 

More: https://www.gov.uk/government/news/major-housing-deal-completed-bringing-benefits-to-forces-families