Army housing is getting a much-needed makeover, with major investment in accommodation and more freedom for families to enhance the spaces they live in. But how far will you go to make your house feel like a home?
BY JILL MISSON
When you’re buying or renting a house on the open market you can usually have a good look around before making your mind up. However, there isn’t as much choice when it comes to Service Family Accommodation (SFA), and you often don’t get the opportunity to arrange a viewing in advance of move in.
Consequently, opening the door to a military property for the first time can feel like something of a lottery, as Army spouse Cerys can testify: “Our first two quarters were excellent. They were clean, modern and really well laid out. Our third hasn’t been as positive and lets the overall experience down, though the house is still warm, dry and secure.”
Spouse superpower
Sarah, who has lived in SFA around the UK and overseas, added: “We have had our fair share of bad quarters and nothing compares to that gutting feeling when you get inside and find it is clean and liveable, but just not very nice.”
Recalling a chance visit to one property before moving in, she added: “Making our way upstairs my heart sank as there was thick black mould on the ceiling and around the window in the bedroom that was soon to be our nursery. We were worried they would just paint over it and not treat the mould, so we rang the housing officer and refused the quarter.”
Sarah also remembers some dreadful decor over the years, which will be familiar to many Army families, including wood-chip wallpaper, mis-matched kitchen cupboards and pink carpets. “In family photos it’s those eyesores that reveal the exact location when our girls ask where a picture was taken so we do look back and laugh. As spouses we have an amazing superpower of turning any old house into a home.”
In November 2025, the Defence Secretary announced a total investment of £9 billion over the next decade to radically improve military housing, which builds on the additional £1.5 billion set out in the Strategic Defence Review. More than 40,000 service family homes will be modernised, refurbished or rebuilt.
Detailed feedback from 6,300 forces families ensured that lived experience is at the heart of the new Defence Housing Strategy.
AFF Housing Specialist Cat Calder, who played a key role on the independent review panel, welcomed the plans: “We know that promises have been made in the past which weren’t kept, however, one of my abiding pleas has been for significant and sustained funding to ensure that promises can become reality. For the first time this is a fully fledged set of recommendations which is backed up by assured funding over 10 years.”
Work has already started to make much-needed improvements to homes across the Defence estate, including renewing kitchens and bathrooms, fixing unreliable boilers and heating systems, repairing leaky roofs, eliminating damp and mould, and upgrading electrics and plumbing. All new-build properties will be designed with families in mind with practical things like outdoor taps and patios fitted as standard.
Air Commodore Leah Griffin, Head of Accommodation at the Defence Infrastructure Organisation (DIO), said: “We’re delivering real change for service personnel and their families. We have strengthened move-in standards and are working hard to ensure more reliable repairs and better communication.” Families are being encouraged to register for HomeHub so that they can use the new online platform to report and track repairs.
Quality of life
For a long time, families have felt frustrated by some of the rigid rules around decorating SFA or being able to leave alterations in place for the benefit of the next occupants.
Army spouse Wroxy said: “In one property we were moving into, the previous family had installed decking in the garden. It was safe, well-maintained and something we specifically asked to keep. Despite this, they were required to remove it before handover, which felt unnecessary and wasteful, especially when families are willing to take responsibility for these structures. This kind of blanket approach to removal seems to prioritise policy over practicality and quality of life.”
The good news is that we are now seeing a different mindset with much more flexibility around what is allowed. DIO is committed to giving families more freedom to personalise their homes by removing unnecessary processes and updating policies.
Decking, for example, would now be classed as a permanent enhancement in the amber category. This means it has to be installed by a qualified tradesperson and families need to notify DIO/Pinnacle before any work starts, using a new simplified online form.
Home improvements in the green category, including adding shelves and coat hooks or planting flower beds, can be made by families themselves without notification. Providing these permanent enhancements are of sufficient quality and in good working order, they don’t need to be removed before moving out.
Families can also make temporary enhancements if they wish to update the style of their home with features such as non-drill wall decorations like decals, peel-and-stick wallpaper or adhesive coverings for wall and floor tiles.
These changes can be made without submitting forms or seeking approval but must be removed before leaving.
If you’re sick of the sight of magnolia walls, then you’ll be pleased to hear the future looks brighter. The Defence Homes colour palette offers a broader range of paint swatches for families to choose from when deciding to decorate a room, including pale yellows, greens and blues.
Air Commodore Griffin said: “Appreciating not everyone’s taste is the same, it was designed to be light, neutral and unobtrusive and is therefore versatile enough to work with a variety of furniture and decor styles.
“It wouldn’t be practical to list all colour shades across all paint brands and ranges – instead, we’re empowering families to use a common-sense approach and use the colour palette as a guide, avoiding colours darker or more vibrant than those included in the palette.
“These colours can be left at move out but families can still choose to add pops of brighter or bolder colours through accessories or indeed painting the walls, but these will need to be reverted to white at move out.”
Renter-friendly rooms
Cerys runs ukmilitaryhome, a popular Instagram account where she shares ideas about DIY and renovations.
“It’s important to me to add our own touches because it helps the house feel like our home, not just somewhere we’re staying for a while,” she said. “Moving often can be unsettling so having familiar things around us brings comfort.
“I think the majority of families haven’t painted walls because they’d have to revert it back to magnolia, whereas this [the new strategy] allows families to choose a shade they like without having to paint it back or the fear of being charged.”
Cerys and her husband have enhanced their SFA with all kinds of creative solutions, from painting a bedroom sage green to adding wall panels in the living room and rustic shelving in the kitchen.
“I started the account as a simple hobby and to maybe give others inspiration for their quarters too,” she continued.
“We use renter-friendly methods which don’t cause damage and fully anticipate reverting everything back exactly as we found it before march-out. My personal favourite, which gives a whole new feeling to a home, is vinyl wrapping the kitchen. I managed to transform our units and worktops for under £50.”
Jennifer has also found social media success with miniature_french_world, which features her beautiful collection of doll’s houses, although she works on a larger scale when it comes to furnishing her SFA.
“My style is French, and I like baroque renaissance ornate, so if anything takes my eye it ends up in my house,” she said. “It makes it feel homely and nice to come back to after work. Upcycling, second-hand shops, antique stores and Facebook Marketplace are great places to find unique pieces for the home.”
Families are being encouraged to share their tips and tricks by tagging DIO on socials or going to the Patch Hacks page, defencehomes.mod.gov.uk/patch-hacks
“We have listened to families and know that these freedoms will make a huge difference to feeling more at home,” concluded Air Commodore Griffin. “We’re really looking forward to seeing the exciting ways in which families will achieve this.”