An independent review has been launched into the condition of single living accommodation used by around 80,000 service personnel in the UK and overseas, following sustained concerns about outdated and substandard housing.
The Single Living Accommodation and Overseas Estate Review was announced at RAF Brize Norton by the Minister for Veterans and People, Louise Sandher-Jones. It will examine the quality and suitability of accommodation for single and unaccompanied personnel, many of whom have raised issues around damp, heating and facilities that no longer reflect modern service life.
The review sits alongside wider reforms to military housing, including the Defence Housing Strategy and provisions in the Armed Forces Bill to establish a new Defence Housing Service. Together, these measures aim to address long-standing underinvestment and improve retention and morale across the Armed Forces.
Repair and upgrade work is already under way. Over the past three years, more than 614,000 maintenance tasks have been completed in single living accommodation, including 38,000 related to heating and hot water. The Ministry of Defence says 95% of jobs were resolved within target timescales, with £244 million spent on improvements during that period. The new review will assess where further investment is most urgently required.
Service personnel across all ranks and locations will be invited to contribute through site visits and engagement sessions, ensuring that lived experience directly informs the recommendations.
The review will be chaired by Natalie Elphicke Ross, who previously led the development of the Defence Housing Strategy. It will report in two phases, covering UK accommodation by summer 2026, followed by overseas sites later in the year.
Speaking at the launch, Sandher-Jones said the review was intended to respond to clear feedback from personnel that their accommodation was not meeting acceptable standards, and to ensure future provision better reflects how people live and work throughout their military careers.
Natalie Elphicke Ross said the review would look at how barracks and overseas accommodation could be improved to better support service life, with a focus on conditions, experience and retention.
The review is being delivered by the Defence Infrastructure Organisation on behalf of the Ministry of Defence, and is positioned as a key part of the government’s broader commitment to improving housing across the Armed Forces estate.
