SFA Consumer Charter – greater freedoms for families
Service Personnel and families deserve homes that reflect your unique needs and lifestyles. Outdated, lengthy policies are unhelpful in fostering a sense of belonging where you can make a house feel like your home. This is particularly important given the transient nature of military life, which we know can be disruptive.
DIO is committed to transforming this experience. By modernising our policies, we’re empowering families with greater freedom to personalise and enhance your homes. Defence Secretary Rt Hon John Healey MP announced the latest improvements, which include an update to policies making it easier for you to own pets and run businesses from home. In the future, you will also have more freedom to personalise and decorate your homes, the details of which will be confirmed in due course.
- SFA pet policy: We know that pets are a big part of family life. Previously, families with pets were required to seek written permission through the National Service Centre (NSC) before acquiring or bringing existing pets into SFA. Under the revised policy, effective from 9 August 2025, pet owners do not need approval. Instead, you simply need to notify the NSC that you have a pet via an e-form.
Permission will only be required if the number or type of pets exceeds the permissible criteria outlined in the Pet Notification Form on the Pinnacle website.
- Business from home policy: Following a review of this policy, applications to run a business from an SFA home were reinstated in May. We have now revised the approvals process, effective from 9 August 2025, giving DIO single authority to make decisions on applications, as opposed to individual units. This will ensure approvals are consistent throughout the UK.
For any queries related to these policy updates or for questions about your SFA, you can contact your local housing officer or call the Pinnacle National Service Centre 0800 031 8628.
Providing families with floor plans
As part of the SFA Consumer Charter, we are committed to providing improved, clearer information for families ahead of moves, including photographs and floor plans of all homes when a family applies for housing.
Currently we are aware that a number of SFA properties do not have an up-to-date floor plan. If you reside in one of these identified properties, you will be contacted by a letter from Pinnacle in the coming weeks to inform you about an appointment, for a surveyor to attend your property to carry out a floorplan survey. This should take no longer than one hour.
If your home is identified for a floor plan survey, we greatly appreciate your cooperation in providing access to your property for these surveys to take place, for the benefit of future Service families.
For any queries please contact your local housing officer or call the Pinnacle National Service Centre 0800 031 8628.
Personal CCTV reminder
Personal CCTV footage captured from your homes (including video doorbells) is for the use of protecting your property only, and not for publishing externally. Helpful guidance on how to use domestic CCTV responsibly and legally can be found on GOV.UK.
FAMCAS results show steady improvements
In July, the results of the 2025 Tri-Service Families Continuous Attitude Survey (FAMCAS) showed a steady increase of satisfaction with accommodation services, including:
- 51% satisfied with the overall standard of SFA/SSFA, (an increase from 47% in 2024).
- 36% satisfied with the response rate for repairs, (an increase of 10% since last year).
- 33% satisfied with the quality of repairs, an increase from 26% in 2024.
This is an encouraging sign that Service families are starting to experience the improvements that DIO and its suppliers are making, and we will continue to work to improve the SFA experience for you.
UK SFA investment plans 2025/26
Following the Strategic Defence Review which announced more than £1.5 billion of additional funding to improve accommodation for Personnel and families, we are now able to share our investment plans for UK SFA in 2025/26. Read more here about the investment that is planned above maintenance funding.
