Damp, mould and broken heating: Government orders overhaul of military living conditions for 80,000 troops

Around 80,000 single and unaccompanied personnel in the UK and overseas are expected to benefit from the Single Living Accommodation and Overseas Estate Review, announced on Friday following a visit by the Minister for Veterans and People to RAF Brize Norton.

The announcement follows LBC reporting last year on widespread problems in military housing, including thousands of emergency repair call-outs in the weeks before Remembrance Sunday.

Figures obtained through Parliamentary questions in 2025 show 7,336 urgent housing repairs were logged in just four weeks, with some contractors taking nearly two days on average to respond to serious health and safety issues such as power failures and heating loss. Urgent call-outs rose by a third compared to January.

The review follows feedback from thousands of service members who say their accommodation no longer reflects modern military life, after what ministers now openly describe as prolonged underinvestment that has damaged morale and retention across the Armed Forces.

It sits alongside the government’s Defence Housing Strategy, which pledged £9.2 billion over the next decade to upgrade more than 40,000 service family homes, and legislation in the Armed Forces Bill to create a new Defence Housing Service aimed at putting personnel first.

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While the review gets underway, the Ministry of Defence says repair work has already accelerated. Over the past three years, more than 614,000 maintenance jobs have been carried out in single living accommodation, including over 38,000 urgent heating and hot water repairs. The MOD claims 95 percent were completed within target timescales, with £244 million spent on improvements.

Ministers claim the review will identify where further investment is most urgently needed, marking what they describe as a “decisive shift” in fixing long-standing housing failures and renewing the government’s contract with those who serve.

Louise Sandher-Jones said too many personnel were living in conditions that fell well below acceptable standards.

“For too many of our service personnel, their accommodation simply isn’t good enough,” she said. “Years of underinvestment has meant our people are dealing with damp, mould and poor heating, standards well below what those defending our nation deserve.

“This review is about showing our people that we’re listening and understanding how accommodation needs change throughout their lives and careers.”

Service personnel across all ranks and locations will feed directly into the review through site visits and engagement sessions, ensuring lived experience shapes the final recommendations.

The review will be chaired by Natalie Elphicke Ross OBE, who led the Defence Housing Strategy last year, and will report in two phases: UK accommodation by summer 2026, followed by overseas sites by the end of the year.

“Our world class armed forces need top quality accommodation to support their vital work,” she said. “This review will look at how we can improve barracks and overseas housing to boost conditions, experience and retention.”

One serving member, Mike, who has spent more than a decade in military housing, told LBC he had lost count of how many repairs he had needed.

“I’m very honoured to be part of this system,” he said, “but we just need little things back in return. You don’t need to give us thousands of pounds. What we need is for officials to look after where we sleep.”

Ministers say the new review, alongside the planned Defence Housing Service, is intended to deliver a generational renewal of military accommodation, whether personnel live with their families or alone.