Natalie Elphicke Ross OBE has been chosen to lead the new Defence Housing Service (DHS).
The former MP, who chaired Defence Housing Strategy Review Team, will act as Interim Chair during the transition to the new organisation as it prepares to launch on 1 April 2027.
A positive step
AFF’s Housing Specialist Cat Calder said: “I worked closely with Natalie Elphicke Ross on the Defence Housing Strategy Review and saw first-hand her commitment to ensuring that any changes to accommodation were truly in the best interests of serving personnel and their families.
“Change of this scale will take time for families to see and feel day to day, but her appointment is a really positive step in maintaining the momentum and focus on delivering those improvements.
She said: “Having a safe, good-quality and reliable home underpins much of Service life and wellbeing for Service families.
“It’s so important that your voices continue to be heard as these changes are taken forward, and that families’ experience remains at the heart of decision-making.
“I’m really pleased to see Natalie in this role and very much look forward to continuing to work with her and the Defence Housing Service team to help deliver lasting, positive change for families.”
The new DHS Chair is a former law firm partner who specialised in housing finance. She has advised central and local governments, lenders, developers and housing associations on financing, structuring and delivering homes.
“Our pride in our Armed Forces must include pride in our military homes,” she said. “The Defence Housing Service must drive through a generational renewal to rebuild, refit and refurbish defence homes, meet military operational requirements and make service to military families central to the new organisation. That will be at the heart of my work as the first chair of the Defence Housing Service.”
Progress on housing improvements
The DHS will take over management of almost 50,000 military homes around the UK. It will also be responsible for implementing the Defence Housing Strategy’s recommendations for improvements to and development of new SFA.
A total of 1,250 homes have been upgraded and 2,000 are due to be tackled this year.
The 2026 Armed Forces Continuous Attitude Survey (AFCAS) showed satisfaction with the overall standard of SFA at 52 per cent – higher than the 2023 figure of 46 per cent, but below 2014 when it was 60 per cent.
PUBLISHED ON 10 JUNE 2026