Services accommodation
This content applies to England only.
Housing laws vary between England and Scotland. Get advice relating to Scotland
Whether you have been allocated services accommodation as a single person, as a family, or as person occupying spare accommodation, you’ll need to know your rights. Find out how long you can stay, and what happens to family accommodation if your relationship breaks down or you die in service.
Living on the job
If you are serving in the armed forces, you may be provided with services accommodation in barracks (single living accommodation) or in Service Family Accommodation (SFA) arranged by one of the MOD’s Housing Information Centres.
If the MOD doesn’t have enough accommodation of its own, it may provide you with accommodation in the private sector instead – this is known as Substitute Service Family Accommodation (SSFA). You won’t be given a tenancy – your agreement will be a licence.
Single living accommodation
You may be provided with single living accommodation owned by Defence Estates if you are single. Accommodation costs are deducted from your wages.
You are usually entitled to remain in this accommodation until your last day of military pay. Before you are discharged from service, Defence Estates should give you a notice to vacate, usually allowing you 93 days notice to leave the property. You should also get MOD Form 1166 confirming that your right to occupy service accommodation has ended - you can download a copy of this form from the Army Families Federation.
If you are leaving the armed forces, the Single Person’s Accommodation Centre for the Ex-services (SPACES) may help you with finding accommodation. You can contact them in the six months before you are discharged.
Service family accommodation
If you have a family, you may be provided with service family accommodation owned by Defence Estates. Accommodation costs are deducted from your wages.
You and your family can occupy this accommodation while you are in the forces, and can only be required to leave if you have been given proper notice. Defence Estates will usually serve you with a notice to vacate that expires on your discharge date.
You will usually be given 93 days notice to leave the property. You have a right to occupy your home until the date the notice to vacate expires. Make sure you are also given a document called a ‘Certificate of Cessation of Entitlement to Occupy,' which tells you that your right to live in the accommodation will end. It’s important to get this document – you can use it as evidence that you will be homeless if you need to apply to a council for help with housing.
If you remain in the property after this time, you will be classed as an ‘irregular occupant’ and will have to pay charges in place of your previous rent. You may get help with these charges through housing benefit.
You can stay in the property until the court orders you to leave. If Defence Estates has to take court action to repossess the property, you will probably have to pay court costs.
If you need to apply to a local council as homeless, to avoid being treated as intentionally homeless, you should avoid leaving early and stay in the property until the date you have to leave.
How much notice to leave is given?
Usually you will be given 93 days notice to vacate single living or service family accommodation. However, this may be reduced to 28 days if:
- you are dismissed from service on disciplinary grounds
- if you are in breach of your licence agreement
- you have lost your entitlement to Service Family Accommodation (SFA)
- you were given Service Family Accommodation because there was spare accommodation available, but otherwise would not have been entitled to it.
If you are occupying substitute service families accommodation – private rented accommodation obtained by Defence Estates – you will be entitled to 40 days notice to vacate.
If you are medically discharged, you can be granted an extra 93 days notice, but sometimes further extensions are given.
If your relationship breaks down when you are in service family accommodation
If you are married or in a civil partnership and are having relationship difficulties while living in service families accommodation, the forces may give you some time apart to allow for a reconciliation.
If you are serving in the armed forces, you or your wife, husband, or civil partner can ask the services welfare staff for a reconciliation period. If this is granted, you will be allowed to live nearby in single living accommodation for a maximum of 93 days to give you a chance to sort out your difficulties. You will have to pay the accommodation charges for the family accommodation as usual, as well as the charges for your single person accommodation.
If you agree that your relationship has broken down, or you are unable to get back together within 93 days, your partner will be asked to leave the family accommodation and will be given 93 days notice to vacate. You will have to pay for the family accommodation costs until the end of the 93 day period, but your partner will have to pay for gas, electricity and phone bills and for any damage to the property.
At the end of this time, if your partner continues to occupy the property, they become responsible for the charges. The amount will be similar to rents charged for council or housing assocation accommodation and they may be able to claim housing benefit to help with this. Defence Estates will start legal proceedings to evict your partner and the court will decide a date that your family have to leave.
If they do not leave following the court order, Defence Estates can ask the court to send bailiffs to evict them. If your partner and children will be homeless following an eviction, your partner can apply to a local council for help. Families with children are usually treated as being in priority need of housing.
If your partner leaves you and you no longer qualify for service family accommodation as a result, you may be asked to leave – you will get 28 days notice.
Find out more from the Army Families Federation – download their guide to relationship breakdown.
What happens to your family if you die in service?
If you are married or in a civil partnership and occupying service family accommodation, and die in service, your partner will be usually be offered service family accommodation for two years - this can sometimes be extended. Your partner will have to pay a charge for the accommodation and may be entitled to housing benefit to help with the cost.
In the six months following your death, if your partner asks to be moved to be closer to family, Defence Estates will help with the removal costs.
At the end of the two year period, Defence Estates will usually give 93 days notice to vacate. If your partner moves to private rented sector accommodation, they will be entitled to relocation costs. Your partner may also be allowed to apply for surplus services accommodation.
