Fantastic foundations

The Defence Housing Strategy 2025 heralds the biggest transformation of Armed Forces accommodation in more than 50 years. It’s a plan about far more than just bricks and mortar and is set to create homes tha...

Raising the standard

There are early signs that the new Consumer Standard for families living in Service Families Accommodation (SFA) is helping to improve lives. When launched, it included a series of commitments and set a dead...

Green shoots on the home front

  BY CAT CALDER, AFF HOUSING SPECIALIST Habitual underinvestment, slow repairs and a lack of accountability have made military housing a longstanding source of frustration for many soldiers and Army fa...

Make yourself at home

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 ...

Running a business from home update

In January 2025 DIO paused applications from those wishing to run a business from a service home so that it could conduct a review. With the aim of better supporting applicants and making the process clearer...

Summer moves checklist

Packing up and moving home is probably one of the most stressful things about family life in the army, so AFF Housing Specialist Cat Calder has put together a checklist to help you get through your SFA move a...

Overseas housing pilot

A pilot scheme launched in January last year has helped couples in long-term relationships access SFA in the Falkland Islands and Cyprus. Accommodation in these locations is being offered on the same basis a...

Brightening up your SFA

Nothing screams SFA on move-in more loudly than bland magnolia paint, oatmeal carpets, if you’re lucky, and questionable curtains. Apart from the usual additions such as curtains that are more to your taste,...

Moving to civvy street

Defence Transition Services (DTS) and the Veterans Welfare Service (VWS) offer a range of support to those facing specific challenges leaving the armed forces, including housing information and guidance. They...

SFA housing contractors – who does what?

Providing and looking after thousands of service family homes the length and breadth of the country is the responsibility of four different organisations. The Defence Infrastructure Organisation (DIO) is res...