Military families across the UK are celebrating Christmas in improved living conditions after urgent refurbishment works on 1,000 of the Armed Forces’ worst homes were completed
ahead of schedule.
The milestone fulfils a key pledge under the Ministry of Defence’s Consumer Charter and marks an early step in the government’s Defence Housing Strategy, a long-term programme to renew military accommodation after decades of underinvestment.
The scheme, known as ‘Raising the Minimum Standards’, has already been expanded beyond its original target. A further 250 homes will now receive priority upgrades over the coming months—an increase of 25 per cent on the commitment set out by Defence Secretary John Healey when the charter was launched just eight months ago.
In total, almost 700 homes in England have been upgraded, alongside more than 150 in Northern Ireland, over 100 in Wales and more than 50 in Scotland. In England, major works were carried out in areas including Wiltshire, Windsor, Bassingbourn, Swanton Morley, Woodbridge and Uxbridge.
The improvements include new flooring, replacement boilers and heating systems, repairs to leaking roofs, and the installation of modern bathrooms, kitchens, windows and doors—bringing many properties up to a standard families say has long been overdue.
The work forms part of a £9 billion, 10-year investment programme to modernise, refurbish or rebuild more than 40,000 service family homes. The strategy has been enabled by a landmark deal completed last year that returned 36,000 military homes to public ownership.
Defence Secretary, John Healey MP said:
“Our Armed Forces and their families sacrifice so much for our country, the least they deserve are safe and decent homes. The work we’ve done to upgrade the 1,000 worst homes means that more families can now enjoy Christmas together in homes that are fit for heroes.
This is just the start of our ambitious work to upgrade tens of thousands of homes across the country, made possible by our landmark deal to bring 36,000 homes back into public ownership and backed by £9 billion investment. We are ending the decades of neglect and giving our dedicated Armed Forces families the homes they deserve”.
Cpl Crean said: “We are really pleased to be in our new home for Christmas. Everyone is a lot happier here, especially Charlie. It’s nice to live in an up-to-date house, it works so much better for the whole family and if I was to go away, I know that my family is in a clean, modern house”.
David Brewer, Chief Operating Officer for the Defence Infrastructure Organisation said: “I am very proud of the improvements our teams have made to a 1,000 of our worst homes. This is just the start of a generational renewal which will see 9 out of 10 homes improved. We are already seeing the results of the changes we are making through our charter commitments and are determined to do even more to improve the homes and deliver the experience our armed forces deserve”.
The refurbishment programme is one of several commitments under the Consumer Charter, introduced in April 2025. Others—including tougher housing standards, clearer handover conditions, easier personalisation of homes and a named housing officer for every family—remain on track to be delivered by the end of the year.
Early signs suggest the changes are making a difference, with monthly surveys of service personnel showing a steady rise in overall satisfaction with military housing.