DIO Service Family Accommodation (SFA) Communications Update – 17 April

                                               

Defence Secretary commits to improving homes for Service families

Earlier today, Defence Secretary John Healey announced a new Consumer Charter to improve SFA for personnel and families. This forms part of the Defence Housing Review that is underway following the MOD’s landmark deal to bring 36,000 UK SFA homes back under our ownership.

The Charter outlines a list of commitments we will be making to improve our accommodation service offer for you, including:

• A more robust move-in standard so that you can have confidence that the home you are moving into will be ready on time and will be clean and functional.
• Providing you with improved, clearer information ahead of your move, including photographs and floor plans when you apply for SFA.  
• More reliable repairs, including a requirement to complete urgent repairs within a set timeline consistent with Awaab’s Law, and an online portal for service personnel to manage repairs. 
• Raising the minimum standard of SFA with a new programme of works targeted at the worst homes, with up to 1,000 refurbished.
• Better and clearer communication for you, including a named housing officer for every service family who you can contact for specific housing related queries. 
• A revised, streamlined complaints process that will look to shorten the process to two stages so that Service Personnel and families have a quicker resolution.
• Modernising our policies to allow more freedom for you to make improvements, giving you a greater sense of pride in your homes. 

We know we haven’t always got things right in the past; however, we are already making great progress in transforming the service we provide. Working closely with our suppliers, our dedication to transforming the SFA estate remains our top priority, and we will continue to update you on plans and developments as they happen.

These commitments will be in place by December, and there will be further detail in the Defence Housing Strategy, that will be published later this year following consultation with personnel and families. 

The strategy will be driven by a new independent review team of housing experts whose members have also been announced today. The review team will be chaired by former Member of Parliament and housing expert Natalie Elphicke Ross OBE, and includes Housing Specialist from the Army Families Federation, Cat Calder. The review team bring with them a wealth of expertise from the housing sector and will play a vital part in providing independent advice and challenge to ensure the strategy meets the needs of Service personnel and families.

Later this month DIO will be launching a new website that will feature all our latest SFA news, updates and act as a helpful source of information for SFA queries.