A Serving Person can lose entitlement to Service Family accommodation (SFA) due to a number of reasons such as discharge, redundancy, retirement, contract changes, estrangement, or long-term relationship breakdown.
Once it has been identified that a Serving Person is no longer entitled to SFA, a Notice to Vacate (NTV) is issued which legally confirms when entitlement to SFA ends and gives 93 days to move out. It is important to note that this is not a Move Out (MO) appointment or an eviction date.
If an NTV is being issued due to the Serving Person being normally or medically discharged, the notice will usually be sent 93–120 days before the discharge date. NTVs cannot be issued earlier but you do not need to wait for an NTV to plan future housing. For normal and medical discharges, you will always receive at least 93 days’ notice, even if the NTV arrives late. A medical discharge will also be given 93 days Continued Use and Occupancy starting from your date of discharge. For a disciplinary discharge you will be given 28 days’ notice. For an estrangement or relationship breakdown, you will be given 93 days’ notice.
Your NTV’s front page includes a pre-booked Condition Assessment appointment. This is when a Housing Officer (HO) will visit your home and assess what needs to be done so you can meet the MO standard and avoid damage charges. If the NTV is issued due to estrangement, it is important that both parties attend as this is where the HO will also inform both parties of charges they may receive on MO and who is liable for any damage. If you are unable to make this appointment, please contact the LOE team to rearrange.
When you are ready to move out, please contact the Loss of Entitlement (LOE) team on DIORDAccn-LOETeam@mod.gov.uk and request a MO appointment. You will continue to pay for the property until an official MO appointment has taken place.
FAQs
Requests to stay following the receipt of an NTV/NTQ
What happens if I do not move out by the NTV expiry date?
If you remain in the property after your NTV expires, your case will be reviewed, and legal action may begin to recover the SFA.
The court process is a two-stage process:
- Possession Order (PO) – the Court sets a date by which you must leave.
- Eviction – if you do not leave by the PO date, Court bailiffs will attend with a locksmith and a housing officer to regain possession.
You will be given 14 days after eviction to remove any belongings left in the property. You should contact the Housing Officer to arrange collection. Anything left may be disposed of or sold by the MoD after 14 days.
Your Housing Officer can be found here: Your Housing Officer – Pinnacle Service Families
As you move through this process you will be advised of the stage that you are at. This court process can take 1-2 years; therefore you should still continue seeking alternative accommodation. Some Local Authorities will only offer housing once an eviction date has been set.
What happens if I need to stay in my SFA?
If you need to stay in your SFA longer, you can request a legal stay by contacting the LOE team. They may pause legal action for up to three months at a time, as long as you provide supporting documentation, keep making payments and provide regular updates.
You should return the Proportionality Exercise form to LOE with supporting documentation, such as:
- Medical/Doctors letters (showing treatment plans)
- Letters from school (showing exam dates)
- Memorandum of sale
- Signed tenancy agreement
- Mortgage details (not in principle)
Am I able to stay in my SFA until I am able to move into my new home?
Depending on your personal circumstances such as education, children’s schooling, relevant welfare, or medical treatment, stays may be granted. Stays last up to 3 months and further stays may be granted if required.
Local Authority (LA) Housing: Stays are rarely granted when applying for Local Authority housing because your application is often only prioritised once a court grants a Possession Order or sets an eviction date. It is usually better for legal action to continue. Please ensure you have given consent for us to contact your Local Authority Housing Officer and provided their details so we can coordinate move-out and move-in dates where possible.
Purchasing a Home: If you are buying a home, a stay may be granted if you provide documentation of an agreed mortgage and an expected completion date. Stays last up to three months and are reviewed by the LOE team. Further stays may be approved following reassessment.
Private Rental: If you are moving into private rented accommodation, a stay may be granted if you provide a signed tenancy agreement. Stays last up to three months and are reviewed by the LOE team. Further stays may be approved following reassessment. Please note that as families occupied SFA under a Licence, not a tenancy agreement, DIO are unable to provide a tenancy reference.
Moving back to a property you already own: A stay may be granted in certain circumstances if property isn’t immediately ready to move back in to. However, it is very unlikely that the team will issue a stay if you have recently rented this property out or if no attempts have been made to remove the current tenants.
I do not have firm future housing arranged, am I able to apply for a stay?
Stays are only approved in exceptional personal circumstances, as SFA must be available for entitled personnel. If a stay is not granted, you must continue seeking alternative housing, and legal action will continue.
Charges and Payments
How and when do I receive a breakdown of any SFA charges?
Statement of charges are received quarterly for the last 3 months of accommodations charges and are issued in January, April, July and October. Payments should be made within 30 days of the statement date, but you are welcome to pay daily, weekly, monthly or quarterly with regular contributions strongly encouraged.
How do I make a payment for SFA charges?
Charges are taken through JPA for Serving Personnel. If you are not serving, you will be issued with a first billing statement when JPA charges stop. Charges are incurred at a daily rate. You can make payment to:
NATWEST BANK
Account name: PUBLIC SUB ACCOUNT HMG 5024
Sort Code: 60-70-80
Account Number: 10022783
Please ensure you use the reference number on your first billing statement.
Our bank account does not support Direct Debits, but you can set up a Standing Order through your own bank to make regular payments.
Payments will appear on your next quarterly billing statement. They can take up to 14 days to reach us, and any payments made during the billing month may not show on that quarter’s statement. We cannot provide interim payment updates.
If your statement appears incorrect, please contact DIORDACCN-HomesChargesTeam@mod.gov.uk.
I am struggling to make payments, what are my options?
If you are experiencing financial hardship, please continue making whatever payments you can afford, to reduce your balance. If a balance remains, at move out, contact the Home Charges Team to arrange a formal payment plan.
Set up a standing order with your bank for an amount you can afford, ideally a fixed monthly payment. When you move out, you will receive a final bill that must be paid within 30 calendar days, anything outstanding after 30 calendar days will be passed to Defence Business Services (DBS) for further action.
We strongly encourage paying charges in full each month. Non-payment may affect your credit score and could lead to legal action. If payments stop, the MoD may obtain a Money Order confirming the debt. This will appear on your credit file, but the impact can be reduced if the debt is cleared within 30 days.
You remain responsible for daily accommodation charges until an official MO appointment has taken place. We cannot provide additional documents for Universal Credit applications, and you are unlikely to be eligible for the housing element. However, support may be available from your Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) Armed Forces Champion or from Citizens Advice.
Support & Contacts
How can I contact the LOE team?
Please email us on DIORDAccn-LOETeam@mod.gov.uk or write to us at:
Loss of Entitlement Team
Defence Infrastructure Organisation
Building 185,
RAF Honington,
Bury St Edmunds
Suffolk
IP31 1EE
If you would like to speak to someone, we can make outbound calls. Please email to request a date and time for us to call you. We endeavour to meet all call requests within 5 working days.
How can I contact the Homes Charges team?
Please email us on E-mail: DIORDAccn-HomesChargesTeam@mod.gov.uk or write to us at:
DIO Accommodation Homes Charges Team
Ground Floor
Swales Pavilion
RAF Wyton HQ
Huntingdon
Cambridgeshire
PE28 2EA
Where can I get additional support?
Veteran Services Veterans Services – GOV.UK
SSAFA https://www.ssafa.org.uk/get-help/forcesline
Royal British Legion https://www.britishlegion.org.uk
HIVE https://www.army.mod.uk/support-and-training/welfare/hive-information-centres/
Shelter https://www.shelter.org.uk/
Citizens Advice Bureau https://www.citizensadvice.org.uk/
Money Helper https://www.moneyhelper.org.uk/en
Step Change Debt Charity https://www.stepchange.org/
National Debt Line https://nationaldebtline.org/
Samaritans 116 123