MOD’s Families Hub is now in its second year – have you used it yet?

 

Blandford: Garrison Carpet cleaner hire

Information provided by Bovington HIVE

Service Family Accommodation (SFA) Communications Update - 09 June 2026

Interim Chair of Defence Housing Service

The Defence Housing Strategy, announced in November 2025, marks the most significant transformation of Armed Forces housing in more than 50 years. It sets out an ambitious, fully funded ten-year programme to improve the homes and communities that service personnel and their families rely on every day. At the heart of this generational renewal, is the creation of a standalone professional Defence housing organisation, the Defence Housing Service.

Leading this transition is Natalie Elphicke Ross OBE, who has been appointed Interim Chair of the Defence Housing Service. Natalie previously chaired the Defence Housing Strategy Review Team and will play a crucial role in leading the transition to the new organisation, ensuring it is ready to deliver for you and your families from day one.

Once formally established in law through the Armed Forces Bill, the Defence Housing Service will take responsibility for managing nearly 50,000 military homes across the UK. Its mission includes providing safe, high-quality, and reliable housing that reflects modern military life.

Natalie’s appointment comes as the latest polling data collected by Opinion Research Services shows a rise in satisfaction among Personnel and families living in military homes.

Read more at Defence Homes.

Blandford: Garrison housing drop in session - Wed 17th June

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

 

Victory Services Club - Monthly Newsletter & Digital Magazine

Victory Services Club have published their latest newsletter and also their digital magazine.

To read the latest ‘Club Life’ newsletter, please click here: Club Life Newsletter - May 2026

To view the digital magazine, please click HERE

For more information about the Victory Services Club, please go to: Home - Victory Services Club

North Wiltshire & Gloucestershire: SFA housing clinics

Looking to speak to Housing staff face to face about your SFA?

Members of the local Pinnacle team attend the following coffee mornings across North Wiltshire & Gloucestershire, alongside staff from Vivo:

INNSWORTH

• Innsworth Station Community Centre
• 3rd Friday of the month
• 1000-1200

LYNEHAM

• MOD Lyneham Community Centre, Calne Road, SN15 4XX
• 2nd Thursday of the month
• 0900-1100

WARMINSTER

• Warminster Garrison Community Centre, Pepper Place, BA12 0BY
• 3rd Thursday of the month
• 1000-1200

COLERNE

• Colerne Community Centre, Azimghur Barracks, SN14 8QY
• Last Thursday of the month
• 1000-1200

CORSHAM

• Dandelion Cafe, Portal Avenue, SN13 0LQ
• 1st Wednesday, every other month (July '26, September '26, November '26)
• 1000-1200

SOUTH CERNEY

• Community Centre, Jackson Road, SN15 GL7 6JB
• 1st Wednesday of the month
• 1400-1530

Details of all housing clinics across the country can be found at https://www.pinnacleservicefamilies.co.uk/drop-in-sessions/ - please note that the website is currently being updated.

Information provided by Colerne & Lyneham HIVEs

Shropshire Armed Forces Outreach Sessions - June 2026

 

Information provided by: Central HIVE Hub

Lichfield: Pinnacle Housing Surgery - 9 June - 1300-1400 - in the HIVE building

Information provided by: Central HIVE Hub

 

DIO Families First Newsletter, published 29 May

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 - 29 May 2026

HomeHub

Following the recent downtime, there has been some updates on how you access HomeHub and an extra security step has been added. This means you may be asked by GOV.UK One Login to prove your identity when you log in. You may have already done this when using other government services, such as:

• Renewing a passport
• Updating a driving licence
• Using some HMRC services

What this means for you

• If you’ve already proved your identity, you don’t need to do anything. Your details are saved by GOV.UK One Login and will be recognised when you log in to HomeHub.

• If you haven’t proved your identity to GOV.UK One Login yet, you’ll be asked to do this the next time you log in.

How to prove your identity

You only need to do this once and can do so in one of three ways:

• Using the GOV.UK One Login app
• Answering security questions online
• Going to a Post Office

What you can use will depend on your device and the ID you have. For step-by-step help, click here.

Please note, Pinnacle does not verify your identity and does not receive or store any of your information. Your identity is checked by GOV.UK OneLogin, which securely validates and stores your details.

Crail & Lossiemouth: Give Us Time Two amazing Scottish breaks available from 8th to 12th June

📸 Give Us Time

TWO AMAZING SCOTTISH BREAKS AVAILABLE FROM 8TH TO 12TH JUNE

Sauchope Links
Set on the stunning Fife coast in Crail, Sauchope Links offers beachside escapes with sea views, coastal walks and family-friendly facilities including a heated outdoor pool and play area — perfect for relaxing by the sea.

Silver Sands
Located near Lossiemouth on the beautiful Moray Firth coast, Silver Sands is the ideal base for exploring North-east Scotland, with sandy beaches, dolphin spotting and outdoor adventures right on your doorstep.

Both breaks sleep up to 6 people. 

To book these breaks please log onto they're website Home - Give us time - Breaks for service personnel and their families or drop them an email enquiries@giveustime.org.uk

Information provided by Leuchars HIVE

Scotland: Scottish Veterans Residence (SVR), Dundee, Edinburgh and Glasgow

click on image to enlarge

Are you, or do you know of a Veteran who is experiencing homelessness and in need of accommodation? If so, please get in touch. 

Due to a few of our residents successfully moving on to independent living, we currently have a few spaces available, including at our Dundee residence Rosendael. If you wish to make an accommodation enquiry, please visit our website and fill out the simple online form on the homepage: https://www.svronline.org/

Or you can call us 24/7 on 0300 131 6755

We support ex-Service men and women of all ages, and also those who have served in the Merchant Navy. Our residences are in Edinburgh, Glasgow and Dundee, but we help Veterans from across the UK and occasionally beyond.

SVR's Annual Report will be published next month, giving us a chance to share our impact and data. The image above is a snapshot of the age and service of Veterans we supported in 2025.

Information provided by Leuchars HIVE

Pinnacle Service Families: Latest Accommodation Updates including the next Virtual Outreach Day on 10 June

HomeHub reaches 2,000 families
HomeHub – the new online platform designed to support Service families in reporting and tracking housing repairs – has now reached over 2,000 registrations.
To register for HomeHub, families will first need to register for a One Login account. They can do this on the Government’s One Login Website. Every member of the household will need to register for a One Login account and HomeHub account using their own personal details.
For further information visit www.pinnacleservicefamilies.co.uk/homehub
*Please note that the HomeHub is unavailable 20–26 May while Pinnacle carry out updates. During this time, you can still report or track logged repairs via Pinnacle 
Tel : 0800 031 8628
Contact Us - Pinnacle Service Families

Summer Tips campaign now live
Pinnacle’s 2026 Summer Tips social campaign is now live, offering timely, practical advice to support Service families as we head into the warmer months. Running throughout May and June, the campaign helps families prepare their homes, stay safe in hot weather and avoid common seasonal issues.
The posts cover a wide range of summer themes - from keeping homes safe and well‑maintained to managing outdoor spaces and preventing warm‑weather risks inside and outside the property. Each message reinforces our 24/7 helpdesk number so families know exactly where to turn if they need support.
All of this year’s tips can be viewed on the PSF website here.

Our next virtual outreach day
We are inviting all Service Family Accommodation (SFA) residents to join our next Virtual Outreach Day on Wednesday 10th June 2026. This online event is a valuable opportunity for families to connect directly with our 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.  

Grantham: Housing Surgery

Next Housing Surgery at the HIVE Community Centre, Building 162, Thursday 18th June, 1030 - 1230. All welcome!

Information provided by Grantham HIVE

Haverfordwest: Pinnacle & Amey Housing Surgery on Thursday 28th May

 

Information provided by Wales HIVE Hub

Bovington: Garrison contact houses for short term accommodation use

To check availability or to book click HERE

or email 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

Defence Update on Long-term relationships: Closing the gap on allowances

Long-term relationships: Closing the gap on allowances

If you’re in a long-term relationship, a range of allowances and support are now available to you – the same as your married or civil-partnered colleagues.

What’s changed?

Many allowances were only available to Service Personnel who were married or in a civil partnership. That wasn’t fair – not everyone wants to get married, even when they’re in a committed relationship.

From 1 May 2026, if you are in a Long-Term Relationship (Established) – known as an LTR(E) – you can claim allowances and provisions that were previously unavailable to you, just like your married colleagues.

Sarah Houghton, Director Armed Forces People Policy said:
“This is a real step forward for our people and their families. Around 20,000 Service Personnel are set to benefit – with those in long-term relationships being treated the same way as married colleagues, for ten allowances.”

Which allowances and provisions are affected?

The following are now available to Service Personnel in an LTR(E):

• Disturbance Expense (DE)
• Duty Travel
• Get You Home (Travel)
• Home to Duty Travel
• HM Forces Railcards
• Longer Separation Allowance (LSA)
• MOD Passport provisions
• Movement and Storage of Personal Effects (MSPE)
• Subsistence

This means, for example, that when you move home for service reasons, you can now claim expenses that reflect your real situation living with a partner – rather than being treated as single.

HM Forces Railcards and MOD-provided UK passports for service travel can also be extended to your partner, where eligibility criteria are met.

Are there still some allowances not covered?

DIO Service Family Accommodation (SFA) Communications Update - 29 April 2026

Damage Charges process

DIO is introducing changes to the damage charges process to make this process simpler for you and your family upon Move-Out.

·From 1st May 2026, on the day you move out, your Housing Officer will provide a formal notification via email. This will include your move-out form, details of any charges incurred and information of how raise a dispute if needed.

· We have also extended the review timeframe for charges. You will now have 30 days to assess the charges and, if necessary, initiate a Stage 1 dispute. Recovery actions will not begin until this 30-day period has passed.

· If a dispute is raised, any recovery action will be paused until the issue has been fully resolved. Pinnacle will continue to handle Stage 1 disputes and DIO will continue to manage Stage 2 disputes.

These changes aim to ensure you are provided with clear details on the day of Move-Out and sufficient time to review everything before any further action is taken, if required.

For families who move out before 1st May 2026, formal notifications will continue to be issued under the current process. We appreciate your patience while we work through these remaining cases during the transition to the new system. 

New light pink shades added to Defence Homes colour palette

The Defence Homes Colour Palette has been updated following feedback from Service families, with five new light pink shades added. This update is part of our commitment to modernise outdated policies and give families greater freedoms to personalise their home. 

By choosing colours from within the Defence Homes Colour palette range, families can leave these at move out with no requirement to revert to white.   

If you are thinking about refreshing your home with a new coat of paint, you can start whenever you like – there is no need to ask for permission or to notify DIO, Amey/VIVO or Pinnacle.  

The updated palette does not specify paint brands or finishes (such as matt or silk), giving you the freedom to choose what works best for you. 

For more information and to view the full palette, click here.  

Notice to families using heating oil

Chatham: Vivo Housing Surgery, Tuesday and Thursday mornings

Information provided by South East HIVE Hub

DIO Families Families First Newsletter - Issue 37 Published

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