On 3 November 2025 the Secretary of State for Defence, John Healey, announced the publication of The Defence Housing Strategy.
Independently led by a team of experts and driven by the input of more than 6,000 service families, this document sets out the most significant change for Armed Forces housing in over 50 years. It marks the start of a fully costed ten-year programme to reshape, redevelop and modernise the Defence housing estate to best meet the realities of modern service family life.
This strategy, backed by £9 billion investment, delivers:
A generational renewal of military housing – 9 in 10 military homes (over 40,000) will be modernised or upgraded to a new, higher standard, with 14,000 homes rebuilt or substantially refurbished with new kitchens, bathrooms and heating systems. This will be funded by the Government’s record uplift in Defence spending and the Strategic Defence Review’s commitment of £7 billion into Armed Forces accommodation this parliament.
A ’Forces First’ approach – underpinned by a new, standalone Defence Housing Service to better manage military homes while keeping them in public hands. The voices of forces families will be at the forefront as we deliver new homeownership opportunities for military personnel and veterans.
Delivering for the nation – kickstarting a ten-year programme of housebuilding on surplus Defence land, with the potential for over 100,000 new homes for civilians and military families, delivering billions of pounds in economic output and supporting thousands of jobs.
Defence Secretary John Healey said:
“Every day, our British forces personnel – and their families – help to keep us all safe. In this new era of threat, we rely on them more every day. The least they deserve is a decent home. Our new Defence Housing Strategy will be the biggest renewal of Armed Forces housing in more than 50 years. This is a new chapter: a decisive break from decades of under-investment, with a building programme to back Britain’s military families and drive economic growth across the country.”
Cat Calder, one of the members of the Defence Strategy Review Team had this to say:
“Having participated in the review team, I have seen first-hand the depth and rigour of the work undertaken to identify the longstanding issues within military housing. For the first time in my experience, this process has not only highlighted the challenges that we have been raising on behalf of families for many years, but also delivered a clear and robust strategy to improve existing SFA and develop new housing that truly meets the needs of Service families. I am particularly pleased that the voices of families have been heard and acted upon. This is already evident in the positive changes emerging from the Consumer Charter. Looking ahead, I am optimistic about the potential for a transformative decade in military housing. I remain committed to ensuring that the voices of families and Service personnel continue to shape the decisions that affect them.”
The Ministry of Defence will undertake a rapid follow-on review of Single Living Accommodation in the coming months to be completed by Summer 2026.
You can find out more about the Defence Housing Strategy Document here. You can also download the Defence Housing Strategy here.