Defence Homes has introduced a new colour palette as part of its commitment to modernise outdated policies and give families more freedom within their homes, recognising that being able to personalise your home is important.
Previously all walls had to be returned to either magnolia or white before moving out. But the new colour palette offers a wider range of colours for families to customise their homes. The colours within the range are light and neutral and will not need to be returned to magnolia or white at move-out. AFF strongly advises you to keep a small pot of extra paint so you have enough for touch ups and can leave it for the next family that moves in.
You can find the new colour palette here – Defence-Homes-Colour-Palette_Download
Families who live in SFA are still welcome to paint their walls other colours outside the new palette. But they will need to make sure they are back to white when moving out. The palette doesn’t specify particular paint brands, colours or type (e.g. matt or silk). However, if you are unsure if your chosen colour complies with the approved range you can check with your dedicated Housing Officer.
Along with the new colour palette Defence Homes has created a Top Tips guide for painting the interior of your SFA. It contains helpful information on everything such as choosing the right paint for a room to prepping the walls and aftercare.
For answers to any questions you may have on what and where you can paint in your home there is paint FAQs. You can also speak to your dedicated Housing Officer if you have any further questions.
Back to topA new online platform that enables families in SFA to report and track housing repairs is now live.
HomeHub also gives you the ability to book appointments, log complaints or compliments and view your move-in move-out documentation.
To register you’ll need a government One Login account and your reference number (the e1132 application number you received when you were allocated SFA).
The HomeHub features answers to FAQs covering a range of subjects. They include raising repairs, reporting damp and mould, managing housing applications and how to book repair appointments.
A series of video guides is also provided.
Find more information on the Pinnacle website under the ‘My Home’ section.
Back to topDIO has heard from many families at its roadshows that you wish to be able enjoy communal spaces and gardens to the front of your properties. In many cases, these areas provide a valuable space for garden furniture and play equipment.
DIO has a duty to ensure that communal areas are safe, but they also want to see a practical approach that balances safety and convenience for you.
The SFA Consumer Charter announced in April sets out DIO’s commitment to empower families and to enable you to take decisions about your home.
For the safety and enjoyment of all, DIO has produced the following advice regarding the use of outdoor communal spaces:
Indoor communal areas that are thoroughfares and lead to fire escapes (e.g. stairwells and hallways) should be kept clear of personal items such as bikes, as they could pose a hazard in the event of fire. Items stored in fire escapes may be removed without notice.
For any queries related to the use of communal space or to find your local housing officer, please contact the Pinnacle helpdesk.
Back to topIn the past families have missed calls from housing contractors as they have come up on phones as withheld or unknown numbers, which sometimes get ignored.
After conversations with the contractors, the following numbers will appear when the relevant contractor calls:
AFF recommends that you save these numbers in your phone so that you will know to answer. Families will not be able to call any of these numbers back, should they show as a missed call.
If you need to contact Pinnacle, the freephone number 0800 031 8628 is the best one to use.
Back to topIn April 2025 it was announced that a Consumer Charter would be created for families in SFA as part of a plan to improve military housing standards.
Here is the link to DIO’s Defence Housing website for further information: Defence Secretary commits to improving homes for Service families.
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These improvements came into force in December 2025 in line with the one-year anniversary of the announcement to buy back the military homes from Annington Homes in December 2024. During this time Military Personnel and their families were surveyed as part of the Defence Housing Strategy.
New key performance indicators (KPIs) will give a more accurate assessment of suppliers’ performance and an earlier indication if standards are not being met so DIO can act quickly.
In April DIO launched a new website to provide a source of information for SFA queries and give greater transparency in the delivery of accommodation services.
An online portal – HomeHub – has been tested by a group of 300 families to help shape the platform. This phased approach was put in place to make sure the IT underpinning the portal works with all providers, enabling families to use the self‑service functions, such as booking appointments. This is now live, and more information can be found on: Welcome to HomeHub – Defence Homes.
The condition, thermal efficiency, age, safety, and modernity of all homes were assessed and 1,000 properties in the worst condition have been refurbished. Decisions were based on known issues like recurring damp and mould as well as properties with a high number of calls and complaints. Work started in summer 2025 and these homes have now been refurbished.
The Defence Housing Strategy also set out wider plans to improve standards and the locations of SFA sites to be refurbished have been reviewed. DIO has stressed these homes will be reallocated to Service families once renovated, not used for people arriving under the Afghan Resettlement Programme.
This work was driven by a new independent review team of housing experts who play a vital part in providing independent advice and challenge to ensure the strategy meets the needs of Service personnel and families.
For those in long term relationships or who are not entitled to SFA the MOD says it remains committed to widening entitlement. The Modernised Accommodation Offer is still under review, but details on the way forward are expected in the next few months. DIO understands the lack of information makes it difficult to plan, but when a decision has been made, full details of any future scheme will be shared.
A programme of improvements and repairs to properties not listed among the worst 1,000 will continue throughout 2026. It will include upgrading heating systems, replacing windows and doors and replacing kitchens and bathrooms. Any changes to rent after the improvements will be subject to substantial consultation and input from the Armed Forces Pay Review Body.
Any revision to move-in and move-out standards will be considered in line with the outcome of the Defence Housing Strategy and the Spending Review process.
DIO and their suppliers are hosting roadshows for Service personnel and families to talk to senior representatives from DIO, Amey, VIVO and Pinnacle. They want to share updates about work in Service accommodation and hear about your experiences of living in SFA. For details on locations, dates and times please see defencehomes.mod.gov.uk/events
Back to topThe summer months bring different challenges – see the Pinnacle: Summer in your Service Family Accommodation webpage for guidance on how to keep safe and to deal with summer specific concerns.
Make sure that your home is as prepared as possible for the colder winter months. See the Pinnacle: Winter in your Service Family Accommodation webpage for advice and guidance on the basic steps you should take now to ensure that you are as ready for winter as possible.
If you have an issue with your boiler or heating, see the Pinnacle: Boilers and Heating webpage.
Back to topBetter broadband is on the way for Service personnel and their families. Teams across Defence, working with industry partners, have already improved broadband speeds and reliability for SFA.
Initial studies showed that at the start of 2022 15,000 of the 48,000 SFA were considered ‘disconnected’ — unable to satisfactorily connect to or use the internet consistently. Defence Digital and DIO, supported by the front-line commands, have successfully increased SFA access to better broadband, which is now at 97% coverage.
Plans are in place to connect the remaining homes and get all SFA better broadband by 2025/26.
If you live in SFA and suffer from poor download speeds, please take a screenshot of your speed test along with the time and day of the reading and send this to ukstratcomdd-cis-fc-brdbnd@mod.gov.uk
Back to topWith the recent increases in fuel bills, families approached AFF concerned about the cost of oil and the challenges of paying the price on the day, rather than being able to budget over the year as you can with a gas or electricity supplier.
In order to gather more evidence, AFF conducted a brief survey in April/May 2022. The survey highlighted the concerns families had, particularly from those unfamiliar with oil heating.
To support families, AFF has produced the following information to assist families in navigating the potential challenges.
Back to topDIO Accommodation is provisionally planning to phase out all gas and oil boilers from SFA by 2035. The pilot phase of this project is due to complete later this year and AFF will update families once more information is received.
AFF is aware that families living in SFA are unable to make changes to help their home be as energy efficient as possible. However, if you experience any issues such as draughty windows/doors, cold radiators or damp, please report these to Pinnacle to ensure that your home will retain heat to the best of its ability.
Some useful guidance:
Yes. If you leave more/less oil than you had recorded at move-in you will be credited/debited accordingly. If you can produce your invoice from the last time the tank was filled, the refund/charge will be applied at that rate; if you are unable to produce an invoice the refund/charge will be made based on the current UK average home heating prices according to the boilerjuice website.
If you are waiting for reconciliation following move out, please contact Pinnacle to ensure the request is in the system and do let AFF know by emailing housingsupport@aff.org.uk
While you will need to contact Pinnacle to report a repair in your home, depending on where you live it will either be an Amey or VIVO contractor who visits your home to fix the issue and at some points you will be contacted by them rather than Pinnacle.
See the VIVO area map or the FDIS accommodation service infographic.
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Call Pinnacle National Service Centre (NSC) on 0800 031 8628 (option 1).
For other ways to log a repair via email or Home Hub, visit pinnacleservicefamilies.co.uk/contact-us
Try to give the staff at the NSC as much information as possible about the issue – in time you will be able to upload photos and videos via the Home Hub. The more information you can give the better placed the contractor will be to repair the problem first time.
You will be given a four-hour window within which your engineer will arrive to carry out your repairs and maintenance tasks. This aligns with common industry standards and will allow engineers more time to complete tasks fully, as well as undertaking any additional tasks identified to reduce the need for follow-up visits.
Back to topFor those who currently live in PFI (Private Finance Initiative) homes, should you need to raise any repairs or maintenance issues the Substitute SFA repairs and maintenance section on the DIO website guides you on reporting these and who is responsible. If you face any challenges in doing so, please contact the AFF Housing Team on housingsupport@aff.org.uk
Back to topIf you have vulnerable people (young children, elderly person or someone with disabilities) living with you be sure to let the HSC staff know as this can affect your priority category.
Response time – respond and make safe within 2 hours.
An emergency is an incident occurring on the affected property which:
After the situation is made safe the repair will be given an Urgent or Routine category as appropriate.
An emergency incident may also be coupled to a call out of the emergency services or a utility provider.
The RAMS supplier (Amey or Vivo depending on region) will attend and fix the repair within 48 hours.
This category applies when there is significant damage or defect, or imminent threat of substantial damage, to an SFA that makes it unsuitable for habitation or is causing severe inconvenience or hardship to the residents. Examples include, but are not limited to:
Total loss of, or a major fault with, the electrical supply within the home (civilian utility providers will be responsible for resolving any loss of supply to the home where relevant).
The RAMS supplier (Amey or VIVO depending on region) will attend and rectify the problem within 10 working days.
Back to topCall the Mears helpline on 0800 032 4547 or email repairs.enquiry@mearsgroup.co.uk
Back to topIf you live in Substitute Service Family Accommodation (SSFA) (a hiring) in the UK, the response times for repairs are as follows:
Families living in SFA have a free maintenance service with clear published response levels dependent on the seriousness of the issue. Whilst you may wish to speed up this process, you should never arrange for third party contractors to come in as this work cannot be guaranteed and will not be paid for by MOD. Please call the Pinnacle National Service Centre on 0800 031 8628 (or the designated maintenance team if you live in a PFI, bulk lease hiring or out of the UK) to report all maintenance.
DIO has now introduced a permanent enhancement scheme for SFA within the UK which allows families to make enhancements which they can leave when they move out. Please see our applying for SFA page for more information.
If families have received permission for an enhancement which is on the amber list these works must be carried out by a qualified tradesperson and paperwork must be provided to DIO. It will be the families’ responsibility to maintain these enhancements until they move out of the property.
If a family moves into a property with an enhancement accepted by DIO it will be DIO’s responsibility to maintain and it will fall under the repairs and maintenance contract.
See defencehomes.mod.gov.uk/what-am-I-responsible-for
Back to topAmey and VIVO have a duty of care to carry out certain safety checks on your property such as the annual gas/oil fired boiler inspections and periodic electrical inspections.
You will be sent a letter by Pinnacle requesting access for these inspections – please make sure that you respond to these quickly to arrange an appointment.
For more information, including contact numbers to call, please look at the Pinnacle website.
These appointments are vital for your safety and those of your neighbours – as such, the serving person should be able to take time off work to attend these appointments; please clear this with your chain of command first!
There is now a rigid process in place in order to make sure that these inspections get done – the end result could be that your local contractor/DIO will legally force entry (after engagement with your chain of command) to carry out the inspections if you continually refuse to allow entry or do not arrange/keep appointments and you will be responsible for the cost of repairing the locks etc.
Back to topThe Pinnacle website outlines what the contractor and you are responsible for. See defencehomes.mod.gov.uk/what-am-i-responsible-for
Back to topEnsure that you aren’t calling for something which you are responsible for e.g. replacement locks if you get locked out or changing fuses or standard light bulbs.
Who changes the lightbulbs?
Families, unless it’s a strip light or specialist bulb that suppliers must replace
Who fixes your broken fence?
The local supplier (Amey or VIVO) but it must be reported via pinnacleservicefamilies.co.uk
Who looks after your shed?
The local supplier (Amey or VIVO) but it must be reported via pinnacleservicefamilies.co.uk but only if it was present at move-in
Who fixes existing outside taps?
The local supplier (Amey or VIVO)
Who provides the lampshades?
Families
What happens if I lose my keys?
Families will need to replace keys/call a locksmith. But if a key breaks in the lock, contact Pinnacle pinnacleservicefamilies.co.uk
What happens if an enhancement I installed breaks or results in damage to the SFA?
Families will be responsible for the repair and maintenance of any enhancements they have made to the SFA.
What happens if I move into an SFA with an approved enhancement?
If DIO have moved a family into a property with an approved amber enhancement this would then become DIO’s responsibility and fall under the repairs and maintenance contract.
If you have small children or vulnerable adults in the house, it is a good idea to regularly check that any window restrictors you have in place are working. Although there is no legislative requirement, British Standards state that where restrictors are fitted they should limit the initial movement to no more than 100mm.
If any restrictors are not working or open more than 100mm, please call Pinnacle to report them.
Back to topThere have been reports of incidents where people have tried to gain unauthorised access to Service Family Accommodation.
All families are advised that it is unusual for Pinnacle/Amey/VIVO or Defence Infrastructure Organisation staff to turn up unannounced. We ask that all families remain vigilant when receiving unexpected visits and ask to see identification.
If you receive an unexpected request to undertake work and wish to check credentials, please call the Pinnacle NSC on 0800 031 8628.
If you have any concerns about your security, contact the police or your local security section/guardroom immediately; any additional information regarding description of callers and vehicle details may assist in any subsequent investigation.
In addition, if you see any suspicious activity in your area, including people or vehicles, please take the details and pass them to the police or security section. Do not potentially put yourself in danger by confronting anyone.
Back to topRecently AFF was made aware of a family who had experienced a leak of carbon monoxide (CO) – thanks to CO detectors in the house, they were alerted to the issue and no harm was done.
“Families are reminded that it is a legal requirement for their gas boiler to have an annual gas inspection and test, and an occupant’s responsibility under their Licence to Occupy to provide access for these tests, which are free and could protect your family. During these tests the CO detector and smoke alarms will also be tested and replaced if required.”
As of 2017, DIO updated their policy for fitting carbon monoxide detectors. Detectors will now be fitted to any room that has a fuel burning device (except where all electric). This exceeds current legislation.
Back to topIf you have integrated appliances in your SFA eg cooker, washing machine or dishwasher (mainly in new builds), and experience any issues with them, please report it to the Pinnacle NSC on 0800 031 8628. Cookers will be repaired or replaced, however, other integrated appliances will be removed and a space left for your own white goods.
Back to topAll SFA should have smoke detectors fitted – if you hear it beeping it means the battery needs changing. If you can change it yourself, please do so or call Pinnacle to get it done for you. Whatever you do, don’t disconnect it and remember to check them regularly – they could save your life.
Back to topWhile the contract means that if you call Pinnacle they will organise for the local contractor to repair broken or damaged locks (including where a key may have snapped in the actual lock), it doesn’t cover lost keys. If you are unfortunate enough to lose a key, you will be responsible for replacing it and, if necessary, the lock at your own expense using a private locksmith.
Back to topIf you live in SFA you are entitled to request that your utility provider installs a smart meter. This will not need to be removed when you leave the property.
NB: a smart meter is different to a pre-payment meter, which MUST be removed before move-out to avoid facing a charge.
Find out more about installing a smart meter, and general information about utility bills.
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Pest control concerns should be reported to Pinnacle via pinnacleservicefamilies.co.uk.
The call handlers will ask a number of questions to decide the priority.
Call handlers will then book an appointment with Amey or Vivo to attend within the appropriate timeframes.
There are some basic prevention tips that you can use to help deter some pests such as:
Pest: Bed bugs
Priority: Routine
Pest: Carpet beetles
Priority: Routine
Pest: Wasps
Priority: If outside – Routine
Priority: If inside and an active nest – Urgent
Pest: Cockroaches
Priority: Urgent
Pest: Rats and rodents
Priority: If outside and multiple rodents seen – Routine
Priority: If inside and visible – Urgent
Priority: If inside and unable to be seen – Routine
Pest: Ants, bugs and beetles
Priority: Routine – must be an active nest for it to be raised as a job
Pest: Bees
Priority: External to property – out of scope
Priority: Internal and active nest – Urgent
Priority: Internal (i.e. in cavity wall and not posing risk) – Routine
Pest: Fleas
If family have pets – family’s responsibility
Priority: If no pets and moved in within 14 days – Routine
Pest: Spiders
Won’t be attended, family to manage themselves
Pest: Glis Glis
Priority: In loft space – Routine
Priority: In living space – Urgent
Although the UK has one of the safest water systems in the world, there are some slight risks that we all need to guard against. One of these is Legionella bacteria which can cause Legionnaires’ disease. While the risk of this bacteria in your home is very low, it is sensible to take the following precautions to maintain that position, particularly after a period of absence.
When returning to your house, please run your bath, shower and taps on hot and cold (hot first if a mixer tap) for a minimum of five minutes. This will flush through any form of bacteria and help prevent Legionnaires’ disease occurring.
DIO is offering advice to families who occupy an SFA built before 1970 that could still have lead pipes. DIO has committed to removing them during modernisation and has stressed the risk to exposure is very low.
Here are some further tips to help reduce the lead levels in the drinking water in older properties:
For more information, see dwi.gov.uk/lead-in-drinking-water
Back to topIf you wish to install an EVCP you can request to do this at your own expense via the new enhancement process on the Pinnacle website.
Pinnacle will assess your application and, if your SFA is considered suitable, will give permission. You will be authorised to contact a certified EVCP installer who must be approved by the Office for Zero Emissions Vehicles (OZEV). Details of certified OZEV installers can be found at GOV.UK: Find an electric vehicle (EV) chargepoint installer. Remember to keep copies of all EVCP paperwork.
You may be eligible for a grant to help pay for the installation, see GOV.UK: Electric vehicle chargepoint grant for renters and flat owners. If you are eligible for the grant Pinnacle will be able to supply supporting information for your claim as a renter.
All EVCP installations undertaken by an OZEV approved and certified installer can be left in place as long as they meet the guidance for the amber permanent enhancements. Please see our Applying for SFA/SSFA page for more information
However, should you wish to remove the EVCP prior to move-out, you will need to contact a National Inspection Council for Electrical Installation Contracting (NICEIC) approved and certified electrician to ensure it is safely removed. Families will be liable for any damage caused by the installation, use, or removal of EVCPs they have installed themselves.
Not all SFA are suitable for EVCP installations (as a general rule of thumb you will not be given permission if the cable has to cross over a public footpath or an open grass area which DIO and its contractors maintain) so it is best to check whether your SFA is suitable before you buy an electric car. Bear in mind that even if your current SFA is suitable for an EVCP, your next may not be and you will need to consider how you will charge your vehicle at future locations.
Back to topSee the latest and most up to date information from DIO and check it regularly to keep up to date.