Govt announces Defence Housing Service for armed forces

The Ministry of Defence (MoD) has announced a new Defence Housing Service to deliver and refurbish homes for military personnel, with £9 billion invested over the next decade.

Following the government’s announcement in June on investing in new housing for the armed forces, the MoD has launched its Defence Housing Strategy, featuring a standalone Defence Housing Service “to put Forces First” and offer priority access to homes built for military personnel, families and veterans.

The new government arm will also better manage military homes, the MoD said.

The Defence Housing Strategy recommends that armed forces personnel and veterans are prioritised for home ownership when MoD sites are used for housebuilding.

A proportion of new homes on selected surplus defence sites would be for “Forces First” home ownership, according to the strategy. This would be agreed between the MoD, local authority and the developer, “based on demand and site viability”.

Through a Consumer Charter for Forces Families, new and upgraded military homes are set to meet modern property standards, comparable to “the best professional housing organisations, ensuring they are warm, spacious and of high quality”, the MoD said.

The MoD also said that in its aim to …