When leaving the military one of the most important things to organise is where to live. Whether you have lived in Service accommodation and are now looking to rent or buy a property to live in, or whether you already own your own property, but may be considering relocating to a new area, this guide will provide an overview of useful information, articles and links.
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Housing Briefs
Each year, the Joint Services Housing Advice Office (JSHAO) delivers a programme of housing briefs at various military locations across the UK and overseas. They provide information and guidance on the various civilian housing options for Service personnel at any point in their career and for those leaving the military and currently resident in Service accommodation. JSHAO can also signpost the single veteran to the help offered by the Single Persons Accommodation Centre for Ex-Services (SPACES).
For those registered for resettlement, attendance is treated as duty (so allowances may apply). The housing briefs are “All Ranks” and spouses are welcome to attend, as is anyone from within the military Service and welfare communities for the provision of support to the Service person.
In order to book a place, refer to the programme available on JSHAO’s gov.uk webpage which will direct you to the current annual programme, containing a list of all briefing locations and relevant contact details. If you're unable to attend a Housing Brief, the department would be happy to deliver the brief using Skype - if you'd like to arrange this, please click this link to send the team an email.
The Joint
Service Housing Office is now available on Defence Connect, which is a new MOD
wide application, allowing all staff/service personnel to connect with each
other, interact, share their work and collaborate over matters. The platform is
used to socialise in common interest groups, usually based around
communications, collaboration or both.
Hosted on
the Defence Gateway, inheriting its impressive system reach, usability and GSC
accreditation (OFFICAL) DC can now be used by business communities from across
the services, to benefit their internal communication and information sharing
business needs.
Useful Leaflets & Information
JSHAO have produced a series of useful leaflets which can be found on JSHAO’s gov.uk webpage. There are a total of 29 handouts covering topics such as Forces Help to Buy; House Purchase; Private Rental; Affordable Home Ownership Schemes; Social Housing and the MOD Referral Scheme; Understanding Council Tax; Removals; Local Authorities (by Region), and SPACES.
A quarterly magazine is produced, Housing Matters, which can be found in various locations such as your admin office, welfare, HIVE and back issues are also available on the Direct Gov website.
Click here to view the latest version.
For further details and information you can contact the JSHAO by email:
[email protected] or by telephone on
07814 612120. The team are located at HQ Regional Command, Aldershot, Hampshire.
Living & Working Abroad
Many people consider moving abroad to settle when they leave the military. Opportunities vary depending on location selected. It is worth searching for emigration exhibitions and information events that are run in the UK to find out more and learn about the process and meet different providers.
Anyone thinking of relocating out with the UK is recommended to carry out extensive research into the range of employment, housing, education and leisure opportunities available in their preferred location. They are also advised to research options for visas via the relevant country embassy/consulate website and proceed accordingly. A number of relocation agents will provide assistance with the relocation process. See the article, "
Moving Abroad, things to consider", for more useful information.