Social housing allocations for veterans

A local authority must have an allocations scheme to determine how social housing properties in its area are allocated.[1]

Most allocations policies require applicants to have a local connection but certain serving and former members of the armed forces are exempt.

An allocations policy normally awards points or groups applicants into different bands to determine preference. A local authority must give additional preference to some veterans and members of the armed forces.

Find out more about the allocation of social housing.

A local authority can use a local connection requirement to determine whether a class of people qualify for the housing register. For example, an allocations policy might require that applicants have lived in the area for two years.

Local authorities must not apply local connection criteria to applicants who:[2]

• are currently serving in the regular armed forces

• had served in the five years preceding their application

• are a bereaved spouse or civil partner leaving Ministry of Defence accommodation following the death of their spouse or partner, where the death is wholly or partly attributable to the spouse or partner's service in the regular armed forces

• are members or former members of the reserve armed forces (including the Territorial Army) suffering from a serious injury, illness, or disability which is wholly or partly attributable to their service

Additional statutory guidance

Government guidance on improving access to social housing for members of the armed forces strongly recommends extending the exemption from local connection requirements to divorced or separated spouses or civil partners of service personnel who need to move out of accommodation provided by the Ministry of Defence.[3]

Additional statutory guidance states that local authorities should consider the wider needs of the armed forces community when applying residence requirements. Authorities are encouraged to be sympathetic to changing family circumstances, for example, recognising the difficulties for partners of service personnel in moving bases.[4]

A local authority's allocation scheme must give reasonable preference to certain applicants. For example, people who are homeless.[5] Find out more about the categories of reasonable preference.

Local authorities can give additional preference to particular groups of people who have both a reasonable preference and urgent housing needs.

Additional preference for veterans

A local authority must give additional preference to a person who is in a reasonable preference category, has an urgent housing need and who:[6]

• is currently serving in the regular armed forces and suffers from a serious injury, illness or disability attributable (wholly or partly) to their service

• formerly served in the regular armed forces

• is a bereaved spouse or civil partner who has recently ceased, or will cease to be entitled, to reside in accommodation provided by the Ministry of Defence following the death of their spouse or civil partner whose death was attributable (wholly or partly) to service in the regular armed forces

• is serving or has served in the reserve armed forces and suffers from a serious injury, illness or disability attributable (wholly or partly) to their service

Illness or disability includes a mental health condition. Local authorities should not impose evidential requirements that are too onerous, for example expecting the applicant to provide the whole of their service medical history.[7]

Additional preference might allow an applicant to access a higher band than they would without this preference. It does not mean that applicants with additional preference are guaranteed to be in the highest priority bands.

The government has published statutory guidance on improving access to social housing for members of the Armed Forces.[8]

The guidance advises that local authorities should:

• give consideration whether other qualification criteria may disadvantage members of the armed forces, for example where a capital threshold is applied to lump sum payments received as a result of disability or injury sustained while in active service

• take a sympathetic approach towards service families accommodation who accrue housing-related debt as a result of being liable for mesne profits after becoming irregular occupiers, often following a relationship breakdown

• use the statutorily mandated flexibility to set local priorities alongside the reasonable preference categories, for example giving preference to those who have recently left the armed forces

• review existing allocation policies and revise them where appropriate to reflect the new guidance

The guidance also sets out ‘strong encouragement’ for local authorities to extend the exemption from local connection requirements to divorced or separated spouses or civil partners of service personnel who need to move out of accommodation provided by the Ministry of Defence.

The armed forces covenant is an agreement by the government that members of the armed forces should not be disadvantaged due to their time spent in service.

When carrying out certain functions relating to housing and homelessness, such as assessing a homeless application, local authorities are required to consider the armed forces covenant.[9]

A local authority performing a housing related function must have regard to:[10]

• the obligations of, and sacrifices made by members of the armed forces

• the principle that it is desirable to remove disadvantages experienced by members of the armed forces

• the principle that special provision for service people might be justified for members of the armed forces

A relevant housing function includes when the local authority:[11]

• allocates social housing properties

• processes homeless applications

• formulates homelessness and tenancy strategies

• awards Disabled Facilities Grants

The Ministry of Defence Referral Scheme can support veterans to access housing association properties.

Information on housing options for armed forces personnel can be found in the House of Commons Library research briefings on support for UK veterans and housing options for serving and ex-military personnel.

Find out more on where to get help with housing as a veteran.