If you are in a long-term relationship but not married or in a civil partnership, there are some circumstances where your partner can be recognised within Service policy.
This is through Long-Term Relationship (LTR) status, and where certain criteria are met, an Established Long-Term Relationship (LTR(E)).
Recent changes mean that some allowances are now available to those in LTR(E). However, access to Service Family Accommodation (SFA) remains more limited and is still developing.
Contact details of the various agencies which can support you can be found at the end of this page.
A Long-Term Relationship (LTR) is a relationship that has been established over time, usually for at least 12 months.
You will be expected to provide evidence of your relationship. This may include:
An LTR on its own does not provide access to SFA.
Back to topAn Established Long-Term Relationship (LTR(E)) is when your relationship has been formally recognised and recorded on your JPA record.
To be recognised as LTR(E), you must:
Once registered, LTR(E) status is used when considering eligibility for some accommodation policy areas and allowances.
Back to topTo be considered for cohabitation in Service accommodation, you will usually need to:
In most cases, this provides eligibility only and not entitlement to SFA.
Back to topYou will need to show that your relationship is established and ongoing.
Examples of evidence include:
If you cannot provide the full evidence:
The MOD has a list of criteria defining an established LTR. You will need to be able to provide enough evidence of your established relationship of 12 months or more.
You will need to show either one piece of evidence from Section A, or two from Section B AND one from Section C – see below.
If you’re struggling to provide the evidence needed, then the serving person can register your relationship with their unit admin team, so you can qualify after a 12-month period following that registration. For more information on how the process works, the serving person can access 2026DIN01-057 – Recognition of an established Long-Term Relationship (LTR(E)).
Case work should be submitted to People-AFFS-LTR-Casework@mod.gov.uk
How are children recognised?
Children will still need to be registered as part of the serving person’s PStat Cat. Children can be registered at the same time as an LTR when applying. If the children are solely of the non-serving partner and not the serving person, then the serving person will need to prove an established relationship.
Back to topRequirement
Evidence that you and your partner are joint parents of shared children. This evidence does not need to be more than 365 days old.
Detail
Proof of parental responsibility
Requirement
Evidence of your child-related / financial / domestic / legal / other commitment to each other. This evidence must be more than 365 days old.
Detail
Child-related commitments
Financial commitments
Domestic commitments
Legal commitments
Other commitments
Requirement
Current evidence of your enduring commitment to each other. This evidence must be less than 90 days old.
Detail
To ensure your relationship is recognised, you must:
You should speak to your Unit HR for support with this process.
Without JPA registration, your relationship cannot be considered under policy.
Back to topSFA is normally provided for Service personnel who are:
If you are entitled under PStat Cat 2, you will normally be allocated SFA in line with your entitlement at your duty station.
Back to topIf you are in an Established Long-Term Relationship (LTR(E)):
LTR(E) provides access to apply for surplus SFA only and does not in itself create entitlement.
AFF would encourage anyone looking to take up the option to cohabit in surplus SFA to look to the future at the same time.
There is currently no guarantee that there will be surplus SFA available at your next posting so it is a good idea to think about how your family will manage your accommodation needs going forward.
Savings plans for a private rental or a house purchase could help you plan for the future.
Prior to registering a Established Long-Term Relationship (LTR(E)) you will need to clarify your PStatCat. In some circumstances, where Service Personnel can properly be regarded as the centre of and prime mover in the life of the child they may be able to apply to be recognised as PStatCat 2 under JSP 752.
It is important to note that once registered as being in an LTR(E) service personnel are to retain their existing PStatCat. Dual-serving service personnel in an LTR(E) are deemed to be PStatCat 1s and 5s as appropriate.
This may apply where:
If you are granted PStat Cat 2:
Applications are assessed on a case-by-case basis in line with JSP 752.
If you think this may apply to you, you should speak to:
If you are already entitled to SFA (including under PStat Cat 2):
If you wish to apply for a larger property that is not within your entitlement:
This means:
You should seek advice before making this decision, as it may affect your long-term housing position.
Under updated policy within JSP 464 JSP464Volum1UKAccommodationPolicy 3.8, there are circumstances where Service Personnel in an Established Long-Term Relationship (LTR(E)), who are already living in surplus SFA, may be able to apply to retain their property on posting.
Back to topThis may apply if you:
Retention allows you to:
Applications for retention are considered in line with JSP 464 and are not automatic. You must apply for and be granted retention prior to your new AO start date. Retention is not granted retrospectively.
You will need to meet the relevant criteria, which may include:
All applications are assessed:
Retention for LTR(E) personnel represents a change in policy direction, but it does not create entitlement to SFA. Approval will depend on your individual circumstances and the availability of properties.
If retention is not approved, you may need to:
If you think you may be eligible to retain your SFA:
Early engagement is important to ensure you understand your options before your assignment date.
From 1 May 2026, Service personnel in an LTR(E) can access several allowances that were previously only available to those who are married or in a civil partnership. To allow for this policy has introduced new terminology for how it classes relationships in certain respects for allowance purposes only. It has introduced two new definitions:
As a service person in a recognised partnership the widening of allowance policy now supports entitlement to the following allowances:
If your LTR(E) is registered, you will generally be treated in the same way as married personnel for these allowances.
What is not included
AFF is aware of work across Defence to improve accommodation for those in long-term relationships.
Increasing SFA availability
There is an intention to develop a more ‘bricks and mortar’ approach, increasing the size of the SFA estate.
The aim is to:
However this will take time to achieve and in the short term while SFA are brought up to higher standards by refurbishment we may see a decrease in available SFA in the early years.
Private Rental Allowance
There are also discussions around introducing a Private Rental Allowance for those who cannot access SFA.
These proposals are still being developed and are not yet confirmed policy.
AFF continues to work to ensure that future MOD policy reflects the needs of modern families.
Back to topA pilot scheme has allowed Service personnel in an Established Long-Term Relationship (LTR(E)) to be accommodated overseas in certain circumstances.
From 22 January 2024 there was an accompanied established long-term relationship overseas pilot on two selected sites – the Falkland Islands and Sovereign Base Areas (SBA) Cyprus. It was originally scheduled to run from 22 January 2024 to 31 March 2025, but due to its success in Cyprus, it has been extended until March 2027.
Furthermore, effective immediately, it has been extended to BATUS and some Global Defence Network (GDN) sites.
To ensure families feel supported, a tailored allowance package is available for pilot participants. Since allowances depend on the assignment location and individual circumstances, Service personnel are encouraged to check specifics for their country.
For policy please refer to updated Volumes 4 (Pilots) and 5 (Overseas Accommodation Policy) of JSP 464 (with country appendices and allowances) to clarify any queries.
The MOD has produced a list of FAQs and a Sway with more information.
While these pilots have supported some families to live together overseas, there may be differences in policy when returning to the UK.
If you are affected by this:
If you are due to return to the UK, you are advised to seek early advice:
For questions about individual circumstances, contact your base commander or the Overseas Bases team at UKStratCom-DirOB-HR@mod.gov.uk.
For policy related questions, contact the Accommodation Support Cell People-Accom-ASC@mod.gov.uk
This will help you understand your options and avoid gaps in accommodation.
Back to topTo apply for SFA:
The Pinnacle Home Services Team will:
Pinnacle Home Services
For help with SFA applications:
Accommodation Support Cell
From 8.30am to 4.30pm Monday to Thursday and 8.30am to 3.30pm on Friday.
Unit HR / Chain of Command
Army Families Federation (AFF)
Key points to remember
Further changes are being developed but not yet confirmed