England: Military family homes now subject to Decent Home Standard

A new clause in the Renters’ Rights Bill will require the Ministry of Defence (MoD) to assess service family accommodation annually and report on whether it meets the Decent Homes Standard.

The measure creates a statutory mechanism to identify and address deficiencies in the quality of military housing.

The amendment follows a Liberal Democrat campaign, initially under the last government, when the Conservatives rejected a similar proposal.

The party revived the issue after constituents of Lib Dem housing and communities spokesperson Gideon Amos, MP for Taunton and Wellington, reported being forced to live in rat-infested and mouldy homes declared unfit for human habitation.

Mr Amos, who sponsored the amendment to the Renters’ Rights Bill, said the change represents “a long-overdue recognition of the sacrifices made by service personnel and their families.”

“I am incredibly proud that the Liberal Democrats are successfully changing the law to give today’s military heroes decent homes,” he said.

Baroness Olly Grender, who first introduced the amendment in the House of Lords, said: “I am thrilled to see this proposal secured by the Liberal Democrats to do right by our military families. 

“Despite opposition and delay under both Labour and the Conservative governments, we’re proud to have achieved meaningful change that will benefit service personnel up and down the country.

“Now it’s on the shoulders of the Government to make sure this legal standard is properly upheld and that military families finally get the fair deal they were long promised.”

According to Ministry of Defence (MoD) figures, there were 47,863 service family properties in the UK as of January 2024. Of these, 29,886 homes had electrical faults since April 2022, while 24,102 – half of all properties – experienced heating or water issues, including faulty radiators, frozen pipes or lack of hot water.

Nearly one in 10 homes, 5,123 properties, were treated for pest infestations and 1,679 for damp and mould between February 2023 and May 2024.

Images shared with The i Paper in 2024 showed collapsed walls, mouldy bathrooms and water dripping from electrics, with some soldiers posting photos online to highlight the conditions.

The MoD said at the time that was investing £4bn in military accommodation over the next decade and is making damp and mould improvements to around 5,000 properties.

A Ministry of Defence spokesperson said it was “only right that [military personnel] and their families live in the homes they deserve”.

“By bringing 36,000 military homes back into public ownership and introducing a Consumer Charter, we’ve already taken greater control of the estate and are working at pace to drive up standards,” they added.

“Delivering better housing, boosting home ownership opportunities for service personnel and improving the experiences of service families will underpin our forthcoming Defence Housing Strategy.”