Leaving the Armed Forces

If you think you may become homeless on leaving the Armed Forces (which on this page means the regular naval, military or air forces), you have the right to apply to us for help. 

The Secretary of State for Defence also has a duty to refer you (with your consent) to a local housing authority of your choice if you will be homeless or threatened with homelessness within 56 days. 

When deciding if we owe you a legal duty to provide help, one of the things we will look at is whether you have a priority need. You will have a priority need if you are vulnerable because you used to be a member of the Armed Forces. When assessing if you are vulnerable, we will consider: 

• the length of time you spent in the Armed Forces;
• the type of service you were engaged in;
• whether you spent any time in a military hospital;
• whether HM Forces’ medical and welfare advisers consider you particularly vulnerable on a Medical History Release Form;
• the length of time since you left the Armed Forces and whether you have found any accommodation during that time; and,
• whether you have any existing support networks, family or friends. 

Before you are discharged, housing information and advice is usually delivered to you and your household through the Defence Transition Service. They can help you move out of Armed Forces housing and find a civilian home. They offer online housing advice briefings alongside a range of other advice. You may also be offered help with resettlement by the Ministry of Defence’s resettlement staff, for example if you are medically discharged. We will work with the relevant service to provide help and assistance. 

If you are living in Service family accommodation the Defence Infrastructure Organisation provides advice on moving out. 

If you are being discharged, you might be able to arrange short-term accommodation at the Services Cotswold Centre. 

If you are single, you can get help from The Single Persons Accommodation Centre for the Ex Services (SPACES). SPACES helps single ex service personnel find housing throughout the UK, which can be temporary or permanent. They can provide support up to 12 months before discharge. 

As soon as you have a Certificate of Cessation of Entitlement to Occupy Service Accommodation (which will be issued before your discharge), please contact us so that we can help you find a new home to move to in a planned way. 

We will consider your circumstances and assess your housing needs, including making sure that you and your family are not disadvantaged by your military service in accordance with the Armed Forces Covenant. We will discuss with you the range of help we can provide. 

We will also direct you to and work with other organisations which provide specialist housing and support for veterans, such as the Royal British Legion and the Veterans’ Gateway. You may want to look at the Confederation of Service Charities (Cobseo) directory of known specialist housing and support services available. 

Freephone 0800 952 0774 to get help from Op FORTITUDE, a dedicated hotline run by social housing provider Riverside, to give homeless veterans a single point of contact to get them the help they need. You can be referred to a network of support including housing providers, charities and local authorities. 
 
The Veterans’ Gateway provides information, advice and support for veterans and their families, on a wide range of matters including housing and much more. You can use the Veterans Gateway to find veteran specific accommodation, getting nominated for social housing, finding care homes for veterans and other options. 
 
Help for veterans is also available from other organisations, such as SSAFA the armed forces charity, Stoll, a veteran's charity and housing association, the Royal British Legion. You may want to explore the Cobseo Directory of known specialist housing and support services available. 

We can help you with financial advice and budgeting, so that you know what you can afford. 

We can help you apply for financial help, which could be benefits, discretionary housing payments or financial support to obtain new accommodation. 

We may be able to provide temporary accommodation until you find a permanent home. 

We can help you apply for social housing . You will be exempt from the requirement to have a local connection to the area if you are: 

• currently serving in the Armed Forces or have done in the last 5 years;
• the bereaved spouse or civil partner of a member of the Armed Forces whose death was due to their service and who is no longer entitled to live in Ministry of Defence accommodation;
• currently serving or have served in the Reserve Armed Forces and have suffered a serious injury, illness or disability due to your service; or
• the divorced or separated spouse or civil partner of a member of the Armed Forces who needs to move out of Ministry of Defence accommodation. 

You will also be given reasonable preference for a home if you are: 

• a former member of the Armed Forces;
• a serving member of the Armed Forces who is suffering from a serious injury, illness or disability due to your service;
• a serving or former member of the Reserve Armed Forces who is suffering from a serious injury, illness or disability due to your service; or
• a bereaved spouse or civil partner of a member of the Armed Forces whose death was due to their service and who is no longer entitled to live in Ministry of Defence accommodation. 

We will also ensure that your circumstances are fully understood. For example, you may have accrued debt paying for your Ministry of Defence accommodation following the expiry of a notice to vacate. This is not covered by universal credit or housing benefit so we will assess whether it should be taken into account when assessing if you have rent arrears. 

We can help you apply for tenancies in the private rented sector page. 

We can help you consider if you can afford to buy a home or use a shared ownership scheme. There is a specific shared ownership scheme called the Forces Help to Buy scheme. This applies if you have more than 6 months left to serve, but there can be exceptions, especially if you have extenuating medical and personal circumstances. 

We can help make provision for any support needs you have which would enable you to find a home, for example if you need help with mental health conditions. This could include considering supported housing or looking at tenancy sustainment support once you have a new home. 

We can also put you in contact with services and charities which may help, such as veteran-specific mental health services or Combat Stress.