Single Living Accommodation – UK

Overview

This is a brief overview of Single Living Accommodation (SLA) in the UK – for more details please refer to JSP 464 Volume 2 part 1

Contents

01   Entitlement

You are entitled to SLA if you are a Regular or Full Time Reserve Service (Full Commitment) Service person and are not occupying MOD subsidised family accommodation (SFA/SSFA) within 50 miles of your duty station.

Your entitlement is at your duty station.

The serving person is eligible (but not entitled) for a type of SLA based upon their rank and this will depend on availability.

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02   Application and allocation

When you are notified that you are to be posted to a new duty station, it is your responsibility to contact your future unit by telephone, email, letter or online application to notify them when you require accommodation. Although there is not a Single Defence process for the allocation of SLA, most sites will send a welcome pack to new arrivals informing them of local application processes. The following options are guidelines to ascertain the availability of SLA or the substitute equivalents.

  • Officers and SNCOs should contact the Presiding Mess Committee (PMC) /Mess Manager of their respective messes.
  • Other ranks should contact the Quartermaster or the unit’s accommodation cell (unless they have been previously contacted by their new unit which may well have received a copy of their assignment order).
  • Contract-run sites (such as Tidworth and Aldershot) normally have a central booking number which should be included in the welcome pack.

Your unit will be responsible for allocating and moving you into the SLA as per JSP 456 Volume 1 chapter 7.

At move-in your unit will ask you to complete the Certificate of Occupation which also ensures that both have agreed the outcome of a full inventory check including furniture, fixtures, decoration etc. This will be used to identify any damage which has occurred during your occupation and charges may be raised as a result.

In accordance with the Defence Accommodation Strategy a minimum standard has been agreed for SLA – see JSP 464 part 6 for more detail.

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03   Pets

You can apply to keep certain types of pets in SLA – see JSP 464 Part 6 for more details.

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04   Charges and allowances

SLA charges can be found here SLA Accommodation Charges WEF April 2024

You will be charged for the type of SLA you occupy and the charges are based on the 4-Tier Grading (4TG) system with highest costs attributed to Tier 1 accommodation. The gradings are assessed periodically by a Board of Officers (BOO) and are awarded after examining a number of criteria such as location, access to other facilities, en suite or shared ablutions, efficiency of heating and lighting, condition and fixtures and fittings.

If you request SLA above eligibility, if available, you will be allocated on the basis that you will pay the accommodation charge for the type and grade of SLA room which you occupy.

If you are allocated above eligibility due to a lack of SLA at your eligibility you will be charged the lowest of either:

  • Grade 1 for charge for the type of property to which you are normally eligible.
  • Grade for charge in accordance with 4 Tier Grading Board of Officers for the type of SLA occupied.

If you are allocated, or request, a room below eligibility you will pay for the type and grading of the room you occupy.

CILOCT FOR SLA

As with SFA, occupants of SLA will pay CILOCT not council tax.

£ Daily rate:
Officers: 0.59
SNCOs: 0.42
Other Ranks: 0.15

TV licence

Occupants of SLA are responsible for purchasing an appropriate television licence if they intend to install or use (or intend to use) a television receiver for the purpose of receiving or recording television programme services.

Broadband/Wi-Fi

Occupants of SLA are responsible for paying for broadband/Wi-Fi connection required for private purposes.

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05   Repairs and maintenance

In general, any issues with things not working in SLA are dealt with in a similar fashion to SFA, offices etc. Service personnel should call or email the helpdesk and most contactors offer a QR code for easy access to their website.

South-west and Central area of responsibility

Vivo covers this particular district and on receipt of the query/complaint, will make the report. In the next step, the helpdesk will pass on details of the issue and direct the relevant local Vivo team to attend and repair in accordance with the timelines in the FDIS contract.

South-east area of responsibility

The same as above but faults should be reported to Vinci.

Scotland /Northern Ireland area of responsibility

The same as above but faults should be reported to MITIE.

 

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