Blandford: Garrison Carpet cleaner hire

Information provided by Bovington HIVE

Blandford: Garrison housing drop in session - 15th April

If you are experiencing any issues or have concerns with your service families accommodation and would like to speak to someone in person, you're welcome to drop in to the Pinnacle housing office on Mudros Road. (Blandford Camp), no appointment necessary.

Housing drop in is 1st & 3rd Wednesday of every month. 0900 - 1200hrs.

You can also report an issue with your SFA by calling 0800 031 8628 or send an email to hello@pinnacleservicefamilies.co.uk 

Information provided by Bovington HIVE

 

Blandford: Welfare/contact house short term use accommodation

Click on poster above to enlarge

£40 per night for a minimum of 2 nights.

Weekend rates Friday to Monday morning £100.

Full weeks are £225.

A full review of costs will take place at the end of April.

For booking enquiries and to check availability email:

 BLANDFORDGAR-BGSUWELFARE@mod.gov.uk or call 01258 481938

Information provided by Bovington HIVE via BGSU Welfare team

Bovington: Garrison contact houses for short term accommodation use

To check availability or to book click HERE

or email Zoe.VandeZande667@mod.gov.uk Tel: 01929 402239 during office hours

For all bookings, a £50 deposit will be required within 7 days of making the booking and the full balance is to be paid 28 days prior to stay. The rate is set at £50 per night for the first three nights, then £25 per night thereafter.

Information provided by Bovington HIVE

Dual Accommodation Waiver – Information update on changes effective from 1 Apr 26

The Defence Accommodation Policy team have provided updated information on the Dual Accommodation Waiver (DAW) in line with changes that took effect from 1 Apr 2026.

Dual Accommodation Waiver applies to Service Personnel who live in SLA during the week as their Residence at Work Address and can also evidence a Privately Maintained Property, family home or formally retained Service Family Accommodation (SFA) in the UK.

The policy changes relate to timelines for claims, including backdating. This new information is available within the following Sway: Dual Accommodation Waiver Explained (Previously Extended SLA Waiver)

JSP references and key points of contact are included in the Sway for further enquiries, and HIVE can also be contacted for further information.

Haverfordwest: Pinnacle Housing Surgery on Thursday 23rd April 2026

Information provided by Wales HIVE Hub

Lichfield: Sign up for the 2026 garden waste service

If you’d like your garden waste bin(s) emptied fortnightly during 2026, you’ll need to subscribe to our garden waste service.

The service costs £42.50 per bin for 2026, covering up to 23 fortnightly collections from late January/early February to mid-December, regardless of when you sign up. www.lichfielddc.gov.uk/gardenwasteform

Information provided by Central HIVE Hub

London: Victory Services Club

Experience the inclusive camaraderie of the Victory Services Club. It is the only military members' club in London open to all ranks and all services of the UK Armed Forces, NATO and the Commonwealth and their families. 

Membership to the Victory Services Club is entirely free for serving personnel. For former service personnel and their immediate family, the Club offers membership at affordable and highly competitive rates.

Click HERE for more information.

Information provided by South East HIVE Hub

DIO Families First Newsletter - Issue 36 Published

Click image to enlarge.

The latest issue of the Families First newsletter, featuring the latest Defence housing news and updates, is now available on the Defence Homes website.

DIO Service Family Accommodation (SFA) Communications Update - 27 March 2026

Let’s get building: MOD set to start construction on first military homes in a decade

Good homes will be placed at the heart of UK military family life as the MOD is set to begin the construction of 265 new military family houses at RAF Brize Norton, Oxfordshire, the first such development in almost a decade. Families living in the area will see a range of new, modern apartments, houses and bungalows begin to be built at Carterton near the air base in the coming weeks, once formal approval is received.

In addition to the building of the houses at Brize Norton, DIO will also be refurbishing another 2,000 homes across the UK in the next 12 months alone, building on the 1,250 worst-condition properties already brought up to standard. This work is a step towards widening access for families who have previously not been able to benefit from a military home, with 1,000 of the refurbished houses being brought back into use for military families. This is almost double the number of previously empty homes that were brought online for families over the previous 12 months.

To read more on this, see the Defence Homes article here.

Message for Service families

We know many of you, especially those in long term relationships or with childcare responsibilities for more than 80 nights a year have been waiting a long time for clearer information about widening access to Defence housing. Thank you for your patience.

We understand how important it is for families to have clarity about their housing options, especially when it comes to making decisions about work, schooling, and other aspects of family life. This remains a priority for Defence, and we are continuing to develop the detail. The final approach will be shaped by the wider Defence Investment Plan, which will set out how Defence will spend its money over the coming years to deliver the priorities of the Strategic Defence Review, including equipment, housing, infrastructure and people. We will share further information as soon as we are able to provide clear and dependable guidance on what widening access will mean for you and your family and how it will work.

To read the full message, click here.

Updated security advice for families living in SFA

Grantham: Housing Surgery

Next Housing Surgery at the HIVE Community Centre, Building 162, Thursday 16th April, 1030 - 1230. All welcome!

Information provided by Grantham HIVE

Scotland: Scottish Veterans Residences currently have spaces for Veterans at Whiteford House

In 2025, SVR's Edinburgh residence Whitefoord House provided accommodation to a total of 136 men and women experiencing homelessness - and 33 successfully moved on to their own tenancy or supported accommodation. We currently have a handful of spaces available.

So if you are a Veteran who is homeless or at risk of homelessness, or know of someone who is, please get in touch and we will do all we can to help. You can either call us 24/7 on 0300 131 6755 or fill out our simple online accommodation enquiry form below and we will get back to you as soon as possible to discuss next steps.

Enquiry form here: https://forms.office.com/e/pq18sjDGtz

Information provided by Leuchars HIVE

Scotland: Housing Options Scotland, Military Matters - understanding your housing options online briefing and Q&A Wed 13th May

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Links for internal use:

Housing Options for Members of the Armed Forces Community in Scotland Tickets, Wednesday, May 13, 2026 from 10:30 am to 11:30 am GMT+1 | Eventbrite

Information provided by Leuchars HIVE

DIO Service Family Accommodation (SFA) Communications Update - 18 March 2026

HomeHub

HomeHub is the newly launched online platform designed to support families living in UK Service Family Accommodation (SFA). HomeHub makes it easier for you to raise and track repairs and maintenance requests, as well as book and manage appointments. Families can quickly manage things online without the need to call Pinnacle.

It is now available to all serving personnel and their families across the UK where their properties are maintained by DIO’s maintenance providers Amey and VIVO.

To find out more information on HomeHub and how to register, click here

Scam awareness

We’ve recently been made aware that there has been a rise in incidents of scam callers contacting families, impersonating Pinnacle and other DIO contractors. These callers are asking families for personal details including: home address, property type and home ownership status. There have also been reports that some callers become aggressive when being challenged by families.

If you receive an unexpected call claiming to be from Pinnacle or a DIO contractor like Mears, VIVO or Amey, we urge you to do the following:

• Do not share personal information 
• Ask for the caller’s name and team 
• Check for appointment confirmations or official contact numbers

You can report suspected phone scams in the UK to Action Fraud online at www.reportfraud.police.uk or by calling 0300 123 2040.

Induction hobs

Pinnacle Service Families: Next virtual outreach day - 8 Apr

Pinnacle are inviting all Service Family Accommodation (SFA) residents to join their next Virtual Outreach Day on Wednesday 8th April 2026. This online event is a valuable opportunity for families to connect directly with Pinnacle support teams via Microsoft Teams, from the comfort of their own homes. 

Whether families are dealing with a tricky repair, have questions about allocations, or simply want to better understand the services available to them, the outreach day is designed to provide tailored assistance and guidance. These sessions are part of Pinnacle’s broader initiative to ensure military families have multiple, accessible ways to get the support they need. 

Booking is now open and can be done easily here. 

DIO Families First Newsletter – Issue 35 Out Now

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The latest issue of the Families First newsletter, featuring the latest Defence housing news and updates, is now available. This issue and previous newsletters can be viewed online on the Defence Homes website.

Give Us Time Welfare Update – Breaks in Scotland and France

 

For further information please visit: www.giveustime.org.uk

Single Service Personnel in SFA or SSFA: You may be entitled to a 25% CILOCT discount

For further information on CILOCT please visit: https://www.pinnacleservicefamilies.co.uk/sfa-charges/

Catterick: Garrison Welfare/Contact House

 Information provided by North HIVE Hub

Service Family Accommodation (SFA) Communications Update - 30 January 2026

New Armed Forces Bill to drive the biggest renewal of Service Family housing in a generation

Service families will benefit from the newly introduced Armed Forces Bill which promises better housing, better services and better protections for our forces and their families.

The Bill will create a new Defence Housing Service, which will have a simple ethos – to put the needs of forces and their families first and drive the biggest improvement in forces accommodation for a generation.

Read the full article on Defence Homes here.

Families First Newsletter

The latest issue of the Families First newsletter, featuring the latest Defence housing news and updates, is now available on the Defence Homes website.

1,000 homes upgraded for military families

Urgent works on 1000 military homes, most in need of refurbishment, have finished ahead of schedule, with a further 250 to be completed by April, 2026. This means that 12 months on from the Consumer Charter launch, we will have increased our initial target by 25%.

Read the full article on Defence Homes here.