We know many of you, especially those in long term relationships or with childcare responsibilities for more than 80 nights a year have been waiting a long time for clearer information about widening access to Defence housing. Thank you for your patience.  

We understand how important it is for families to have clarity about their housing options, especially when it comes to making decisions about work, schooling, and other aspects of family life. This remains a priority for Defence, and we are continuing to develop the detail. The final approach will be shaped by the wider Defence Investment Plan, which will set out how Defence will spend its money over the coming years to deliver the priorities of the Strategic Defence Review, including equipment, housing, infrastructure and people. We will share further information as soon as we are able to provide clear and dependable guidance on what widening access will mean for you and your family and how it will work. 

As we continue working through the final details before sharing full guidance, we want to update you on the progress already being made to increase the capacity of the estate and improve the condition of family housing across Defence. 

Over the past year, Defence has renewed its commitment to giving Service families the decent, secure homes you deserve. At RAF Brize Norton, construction will soon begin on 265 brand new family homes. This is the first newly built housing by the MOD since 2017 marking the beginning of a new era in Defence family housing, made possible by the Government’s decision to buy back the military housing estate in January 2025.  

Defence is also working hard to make more, existing properties available as quickly as possible.  

In 2025/26, around 500 previously empty homes were brought back into use. Over the next 12 months, refurbishment work will take place to a further 2,000 homes, including 1,000 that are not currently available to military families, to bring them back into good condition. In time this will be accompanied by an interim rental allowance, which will accelerate widened access for those military families whose needs cannot be met in a particular location, while capacity on the estate increases.  These steps mean more homes are becoming available, and more families will be able to access suitable accommodation.  

All this progress sits alongside a wider shift in how Defence listens to and works with families. Having delivered the commitments in last year’s Customer Charter, we have now established a new Customer Committee, bringing together representatives from the Front-Line Commands and the Families Federations. Their insight is already helping ensure that families’ real experiences shape the improvements we make.  

Thank you again for your patience, and for everything you do to support our Armed Forces community.