Families in established long-term relationships (LTR(E)) now hold a higher priority when they’re applying for surplus SFA, following a change in policy.
The new order of priority for eligible personnel is:
- LTR(E) personnel accompanied at their duty station with resident dependent children.
- LTR(E) personnel accompanied at their duty station without resident dependent children.
- Personnel who need accommodation and have children who do not meet PStat Cat 2 criteria, including some separated parents and personnel serving unaccompanied.
- Dual-serving couples in an LTR(E) posted to different locations and needing accommodation midway.
- Applications by those entitled to SFA at their duty station but applying for surplus SFA away from the duty station.
Returning from an overseas housing pilot location
Preserved rights that allowed families taking part in the overseas LTR(E) pilot to retain access to SFA on return to the UK were stopped on 31 March.
It means they will assessed under the same rules as other LTR(E) personnel when applying for SFA in the UK.
AFF encourages all participants in the pilot to complete the Return Planning Information Form as soon as possible to help DIO plan better for future housing needs.
It doesn’t matter if you’re not due to return to the UK for several years, you’ve not yet received an assignment order or your next duty station is not confirmed.
See our page Cohabitation and long-term relationships in Service accommodation for more detailed information.
Recognising the needs of families
Surplus SFA is only available when there are more homes than are needed by entitled Service personnel. Availability varies by location and can change over time.
In future you will only be able to apply for surplus at your duty station and only on an assignment order (or three years after 1 September 2026 if you haven’t had one). Surplus allocations are now limited to the length of your assignment order, not open ended, so you will need to re-apply.
AFF continues to support changes that recognise the needs of LTR(E) families and has long called for accommodation policy to better reflect modern family arrangements.
But until LTR(E) families become entitled to SFA in their own right, surplus SFA remains dependent on availability and cannot be guaranteed at future assignments.
Families are encouraged to ensure that financial plans are made early on just in case surplus isn’t available at the next duty station and they need to consider private rental.
The new priorities came into force on 1 September. You can find more detail about the changes and guidance on applying for surplus SFA on our housing pages.
If you or your family have been affected by these changes, AFF would love to hear from you. Please contact housingsupport@aff.org.uk