Guidance

Housing Options (updated September 2020)

Updated 16 September 2020

This guidance was withdrawn on 8 March 2023

This publication is withdrawn as it is no longer current.

Please access Information and guidance on civilian housing

• Serial No: JSHAO/01

• Date: March 2020

• Review Date: April 2021

There are several considerations to take into account when you are thinking about your future housing needs. Remember you are an individual and have your own circumstances. Therefore, it is unlikely that one handout will provide answers to all your questions. However, in the Joint Service Housing Advice Office, our experience shows that some of the same questions come up regularly and so this may help you if you are starting to consider your housing options.

Q. I’m not sure what my housing options are.

A. Firstly, you might need to decide if you want to Rent or Buy?

The rental options cover:

• Renting Privately
• Shared Ownership (Part Buy/Part Rent)
• Housing Association Properties (Affordable Housing)
• Local Authority Housing (Social Housing)

The purchase options cover:

• Shared Ownership (Part Buy Part Rent)
• Affordable Housing Schemes
• Buying at Market Value
• Other purchase routes (auctions, right to buy/acquire etc)

There are in depth articles on all these options in Home Matters Magazines, which are available to view online.

Q. How much will I have to pay for accommodation?

A. This is difficult to answer because it depends on your personal circumstances. However, Service accommodation is heavily subsidised so for civilian housing you will probably have to pay more than you do now. Don’t forget to account for set up fees such as a deposit or bond if you decide to rent or arrangement and legal fees if you are buying.

As a rough guide, if you have less than £8,000 as available funds and you have children you may be able to access local authority housing (social housing). However, if you have savings or are due to leave the Service with any sort of final payment including redundancy money or a gratuity, you will be expected to use this towards your future housing.

Note: any payment from the Armed Forces Compensation Scheme should be discounted when assessing available finances. More information can be found at the apply for council housing website.

If you have available funds between £16,000 and £60,000 you have a range of options that could include some assistance in renting housing; either directly through Housing Associations, via the MOD Referral Scheme or by renting privately. You can also seek help with a house purchase through Government Affordable Housing initiatives such as the Help to Buy Schemes.

If your funds are above £60,000 you are not considered to be in housing need assistance and will be deemed as able to rent or buy on the private market. You may however be able to apply for an advance via the MOD via the Forces Help to Buy, but you must have a minimum of six months and a day left to serve.

If you think that you will have problems because of debt or your credit rating is poor, speak to a professional as soon as possible. You can look at advice on financial matters on the money force website.

Or you may wish to seek advice from a Mortgage Advisor or Independent Financial Advisor.

Q. Do I need to have a job?

A. If you have a job then you will have a steady income. However, you can also find housing if you are unemployed.

If you are staying in the Armed Forces you might be entitled to an advance of salary through the Forces Help to Buy Scheme. You may also be entitled to some other travelling and/or relocation expenses. However, some of these may limit your access to Service Accommodation now or in the future.

You may be entitled to advice on finding a civilian job through other Transition/Resettlement activities. If you are unsure about what you are entitled to speak to your local Resettlement Centre or to your Individual Education and Resettlement Officer (IERO) or your Service Resettlement Advisor (SRA).

Resettlement services are offered through the Career Transition Partnership.

When planning where to live you will also need to think about how much time and money you and if necessary, any members of your family will need to spend commuting to work and/or school or college.

Q. What size house will I get?

A. To answer this, you need to think about who you need to accommodate. Do you have children? How old are they? Will they be expected to share a room? Are they in full time education? Do you need to look after children from a previous relationship? Do you need to look after other family members such as elderly parents? Do you need to accommodate employees such as a carer or nanny?

If you are planning to rent social or affordable housing, there are some rules that the Local Authorities and Housing Associations follow to ensure that the allocation of property meets your needs and is fair for all. Children may be expected to share a bedroom. It is unlikely that you will be allowed additional rooms if you want to accommodate children from a former relationship that you don’t have custody for.

If you are single or a couple with no children, you may find it difficult to get housing as the social housing needs policies normally prioritise families with children. The MOD work alongside an organisation called SPACES to help single Service leavers find suitable accommodation. You could also rent a room or a bedsit; there are various websites that help Single People with finding a room to rent such as:

• Riverside
• Centre Point Room
• Spare Room

Q. Where should I live?

A. This is a personal choice. Do you want to settle in the UK or overseas? If in the UK do you want to be in England, Wales, Scotland or Northern Ireland? Do you know what area/city/town you want to live in?

The JSHAO provides advice on civilian housing options in the UK. If you are thinking of settling overseas, you will need to do some of your own research about the country that you want to go to.

Please note, Housing regulations are different in England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland. If you are unsure about the regulations in the area you want to go to please contact the JSHAO for advice.

As a broad generalisation, the cost of housing is much more expensive in London and the South East than the rest of the UK. The further you get from London the less expensive housing becomes. Housing is also more expensive when it is close to good transport links. The Housing Matters magazines feature different areas each quarter, so if you need details of Local Authorities or housing associations for the area you are interested in please check earlier issues.

Q. What if I want to live in a certain place?

A. People often have a strong reason for wanting to live in a particular location. It might be because they have a job offer there or they may have close family in the local area. They might have lived there for a long time and have ‘put down roots’. It could be where they lived before joining the Armed Forces, or it could be where their partner is from?

Because of the high demand for Social housing in some areas, particularly in the South East of England, Local Authorities will often expect applicants for housing to have a local connection. Armed Forces personnel should not be disadvantaged because you lack a local connection, and the Armed Forces Covenant supports this. All 407 local authorities in mainland Great Britain and 4 Northern Ireland councils have pledged to uphold the Armed Forces Covenant. To date over 3,000 organisations have signed the covenant, including businesses and charities. However, this does not mean that you will get higher points than someone with a similar housing need. If a housing register has a long waiting list, you will be added to the list at the appropriate point. You will not jump ahead of anyone with a similar housing need.

Q. I have medical circumstances that means I need something a bit different.

A. If you or any of your family need suitable accommodation to cater for medical issues or other vulnerabilities this can be taken in to account. If you believe that you fall in to this category you should speak to your medical officer, pathway recovery officer or a welfare officer for advice as you will need to provide documentary evidence of your additional needs. Things that may need to be taken in to considerations are if you will need supported or sheltered accommodation? Do you need ground floor accommodation? Do you need any mobility issues to be taken into account? Will you need any adaptations to be made to a property to make it suitable for you or your family’s needs?

The profile of Wounded, Injured, and Sick Service personnel is high at the moment and there are a number of schemes to ensure that people with medical issues or additional vulnerabilities can access the appropriate standard of accommodation. Social and Affordable housing providers can prioritise Service personnel and Veterans higher than others on housing need lists if they have a serious injury, medical condition or disability sustained as a result of Service.

Q. I am not originally from the UK can I get housing?

A. Housing providers in the UK are required by law to check the nationality and rights of residency for all applicants. If you are not a British Citizen or have no Indefinite Right to Remain or Enter, you will need to ensure that you have the correct documentation that will enable you to access civilian housing. If you think that this will be a problem for you or a member of your family, you should speak to your Unit Welfare Officer or seek advice from the UK Border Agency.

Joint Service Housing Advice Office

Civ: 01252 787574 Mil: 94222 7574 RC-PERS-JSHAO-0Mailbox@mod.gov.uk