- By Jonathan Beale
- Defense Correspondent, BBC News
2 hours ago
Image source: Getty Images
Military officers and senior soldiers have said they will quit the army in droves because of new housing rules.
Currently military personnel are entitled to subsidized housing depending on their rank, but the Ministry of Defense (MoD) wants to change the rules to focus on the needs of families.
The plan could result in many civil servants losing their right to larger apartments.
There are fears the army's recruitment and retention crisis could worsen if the new plans are implemented.
The BBC has obtained statements from more than 20 civil servants and their partners – a sign of growing protest against the new policy.
One said: “The de-registration before Christmas and the change to the family accommodation service was one of the factors that affected us as a childless couple.”
Dozens more said they were ready to “walk out the door.”
More than 300 officers took part in a social media survey and 78% said they would be willing to leave if their accommodation entitlement was reduced.
An online petition calling for a review of the policy has already received 18,000 signatures.
The Ministry of Defense will launch its New Accommodation Offer (NAO) for military personnel in March.
Under the new offer, a married, adult man with no children would be entitled to a two-bedroom property instead of a three or four-bedroom house – giving him around 38% less space.
A married individual with three children receives a larger house – and thereby gains around 27% more space.
Rosie Bucknall, a major's wife, said it sounded like a great initiative in theory, “but in practice it creates even more stress and uncertainty for families who are constantly on the go.”
She and her husband currently live in a three-bedroom military house, but under the new rules they would be entitled to a two-bedroom apartment.
Many officers and their families see it as eliminating one of the last remaining perks to deal with the unpredictability of seniority that results in many officers being moved to different locations every few years.
Most of the statements obtained by the BBC were given anonymously. A lieutenant colonel said: “Due to the new accommodation model, we have decided that remaining in the service is no longer tenable for us.”
Another lieutenant colonel said: “Since this policy was announced, I started thinking about leaving. It is the elimination of another advantage, and the advantages no longer outweigh the disadvantages.”
An Army captain said, “I couldn't think of a single policy better suited to driving highly qualified officers out of the service and ripping the heart out of the organization.”
He added that he intended to step down within the next two years, saying: “Anecdotally, most of my colleagues are now also planning to leave on different but similar timetables.”
Those affected include many experienced soldiers who were appointed officers after promotion.
One said: “Joined at 16, given my adulthood and real ambitions to be a young professional… but I feel like the ambitions I had have been taken away by this policy, it feels like a punishment .”
He said several of his cohorts are now also considering leaving the Army.
Several officials and their wives said the new placement policy would also have a devastating impact on family life, as adult children would now be unable to return to a place they would call home.
An officer said: “I have a boy and a girl who are just over 18 years old. Since we knew I would be assigned a three-bedroom house, we could still get a family home. This policy changes that.”
Another officer's wife said the rule would make life more difficult because they had children with special needs and needed extra space – and parents often stopped by to help.
In a statement, the Ministry of Defense said the NAO will “make care more equitable by allocating accommodation based on need, not just rank, and by recognizing long-term relationships.”
The Ministry of Defense said the new rules would also allow soldiers to access the private rental market as an alternative, but in practice any private landlord would have to agree to the Ministry of Defense's strict conditions to end a rental agreement at short notice. It also said that there would be a three-year transition period and that no one would be worse off during this time.
However, the underlying problem is the lack of adequate military housing and there is growing dissatisfaction with the state of military housing.
Ms Bucknall said the Defense Department's decision to commit to meeting a sharp increase in demand without making changes to housing supply was “madness”.
A Ministry of Defense survey last year found that less than half of staff were satisfied with the overall standard of accommodation. More than a quarter said this was a factor influencing the decision to leave.
Some families lived in damp and poorly maintained military housing.
For many, this latest policy is the final straw that breaks the camel's back. Another officer wrote: “The negative impact on our family is now too great and unfortunately this will make us consider leaving the military.”