A Serving Family can lose entitlement to Service Family accommodation (SFA) due to a number of reasons such as discharge, redundancy, retirement, changes to terms of service, estrangement, or long-term relationship breakdown.
Once it has been identified that a Service Family 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 there is no need to wait for an NTV to plan future housing. For normal and medical discharges, the Serving Person 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 their date of discharge. Disciplinary discharges will be given 28 days’ notice. Estrangements or relationship breakdowns, will be given 93 days’ notice.
The NTV’s front page includes a pre-booked Condition Assessment appointment. This is when a Housing Officer (HO) will visit their home and provide advice on meeting the MO standard to 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 they are unable to make this appointment, please contact the LOE team to rearrange.
When they are ready to move out, please contact the Loss of Entitlement (LOE) team on DIORDAccn-LOETeam@mod.gov.uk and request a MO appointment. Until formal handover has taken place charges will continue to apply.
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 they remain in the property after their NTV expires, their 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 they must leave.
- Eviction – if they do not leave by the PO date, Court bailiffs will attend with a locksmith and a housing officer to regain possession.
They will be given 14 days after eviction to remove any belongings left in the property. They should contact the Housing Officer to arrange collection. Anything left may be disposed of or sold by the MoD after 14 days.
Their Housing Officer can be found here: Your Housing Officer – Pinnacle Service Families
As they move through this process they will be advised of the stage that they are at. This court process can take 12-14 weeks; therefore they 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 they need to stay in their SFA longer, they 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 they provide supporting documentation, keep making payments and provide regular updates.
They 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 their 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 their 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 they have given consent for us to contact their Local Authority Housing Officer and provided their details so we can coordinate move-out and move-in dates where possible.
Purchasing a Home: If they are buying a home, a stay may be granted if they 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 they are moving into private rented accommodation, a stay may be granted if they 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 they 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 they 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, they 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 they 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 they are not serving, they will be issued with a first billing statement when JPA charges stop. Charges are incurred at a daily rate. they can make payment to:
NATWEST BANK
Account name: PUBLIC SUB ACCOUNT HMG 5024
Sort Code: 60-70-80
Account Number: 10022783
Please ensure they use the reference number on their first billing statement.
Our bank account does not support Direct Debits, but they can set up a Standing Order through their own bank to make regular payments.
Payments will appear on their 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 their statement appears incorrect, please contact DIORDACCN-HomesChargesTeam@mod.gov.uk.
I am struggling to make payments, what are my options?
If they are experiencing financial hardship, please continue making whatever payments they can afford, to reduce their 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 their bank for an amount they can afford, ideally a fixed monthly payment. When they move out, they 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 their 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 their credit file, but the impact can be reduced if the debt is cleared within 30 days.
They remain responsible for daily accommodation charges until an official MO appointment has taken place. We cannot provide additional documents for Universal Credit applications, and they are unlikely to be eligible for the housing element. However, support may be available from their 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 they would like to speak to someone, we can make outbound calls. Please email to request a date and time for us to call them. 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