Bovington: Garrison coffee morning & DIO housing surgery Wed 3rd Sep

If you have any housing issues or concerns, please use this opportunity to come along and speak in person to a housing representative from Pinnacle/Vivo

Information provided by Bovington HIVE

Blandford: Garrison housing issues - drop in session Wed 3rd Sep

1st & 3rd Wednesday of every month, 0900-1200hrs. At the Pinnacle Office located in the Estates Building, Murdos Road, Blandford Camp.

If you have any issues regarding your Service Family Accommodation and would like to speak to someone face-to-face, pop along, no appointment necessary.

Information provided by Bovington HIVE

London: Victory Services Club

Information provided by South East HIVE Hub

Chatham: Vivo Housing Surgery, Tuesday and Thursday mornings

Information provided by South East HIVE Hub

Grantham: Housing Surgery

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

Information provided by Grantham HIVE

DIO Service Family Accommodation (SFA) Communications Update - 11 August 25

SFA Consumer Charter – greater freedoms for families

Service Personnel and families deserve homes that reflect your unique needs and lifestyles. Outdated, lengthy policies are unhelpful in fostering a sense of belonging where you can make a house feel like your home. This is particularly important given the transient nature of military life, which we know can be disruptive.

DIO is committed to transforming this experience. By modernising our policies, we’re empowering families with greater freedom to personalise and enhance your homes. Defence Secretary Rt Hon John Healey MP announced the latest improvements, which include an update to policies making it easier for you to own pets and run businesses from home. In the future, you will also have more freedom to personalise and decorate your homes, the details of which will be confirmed in due course.

• SFA pet policy: We know that pets are a big part of family life. Previously, families with pets were required to seek written permission through the National Service Centre (NSC) before acquiring or bringing existing pets into SFA. Under the revised policy, effective from 9 August 2025, pet owners do not need approval. Instead, you simply need to notify the NSC that you have a pet via an e-form.

Permission will only be required if the number or type of pets exceeds the permissible criteria outlined in the Pet Notification Form on the Pinnacle website.  

Stafford: Housing Surgery Beacon Barracks welfare office Wednesday 3rd September 2025 13:00- 14:00

Information provided by Stafford HIVE

Staffordshire and West Midlands: MHLO Advisory – SFA SP/Occupants Preparation for Winter

 

With winter coming the importance of SP/SFA Tenants ensuring that their SFA/Homes are maintained with all boiler and heating systems working correctly to full capacity is paramount. This also in line with the current UK costs for utility provision (Gas/Electric), heating systems working correctly, do have a direct impact in keeping costs down.  

 

Additional: All windows, doors, sealant fittings are to be checked and reported should damage be identified.  

 

This is an SP/Occupant responsibility to check, confirm and if necessary, report. If issues are identified, they are to be reported immediately to allow repairs to be conducted ASAP. Pinnacle should confirm ‘Pinnacle Job Reference Number/s’, confirm date, time of attendance.

 

The Pinnacle National Service Centre (NSC) is the Single Point of Contact (SPOC) for all SFA Occupants to raise repair requirements. These then directed to Amey Defence Services (Maintenance Contractor providers for all SFA estates within HQ Centre AoR – UK East & West Midlands, Central Region).

 

Contacting the Pinnacle National Service Centre Link: Contact Us - Pinnacle Service Families

Escalation Process:

 

1. SP/Occupant/s responsible for reporting repair. A repair job number SHOULD BE PROVIDED as reference to the repair reported. Multiple Job Numbers may be given if reporting multiple jobs all at once. These to be utilised as reference should the work requirement have to be escalated if problems arise (Missed appointments, Quality of works conducted, Timeframe for works to be completed, etc).
2. SP/Occupant/s responsible for confirming repair (should initial issues arise) directly with Pinnacle NSC. SP to attend local Pinnacle/Amey Housing Surgeries as required. Pinnacle Housing Officer contact details UK here: Your Housing Officer - Pinnacle Service Families

Please find direct links to Pinnacle information and support (Confirmed in use AUG 25)

Pinnacle Advisory Content	Pinnacle Links to Information
In My Home Emergencies	In My Home – Emergencies - Pinnacle Service Families
Repairs in your home	https://www.pinnacleservicefamilies.co.uk/repairs/
Pinnacle Winter Tips	Winter Advice - Pinnacle Service Families
Pinnacle Handy Winter Tips Video	Winter Videos - Pinnacle Service Families
Boilers and Heating Issues	https://www.pinnacleservicefamilies.co.uk/in-my-home/boilers-and-heating/
In my home – Gas and Energy	https://www.pinnacleservicefamilies.co.uk/in-my-home/gas-and-energy/
In my home – Damp & Mould	https://www.pinnacleservicefamilies.co.uk/in-my-home/damp-and-mould/
Damp & Mould (A Guide to preventing Damp & Mould)	https://www.pinnacleservicefamilies.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2023/01/A-guide-to-preventing-condensation-damp-and-mould-SFA_d4.pdf
Emergencies (Fire, Gas, Water Leaks):	https://www.pinnacleservicefamilies.co.uk/in-my-home/emergencies/
Compulsory Safety Checks	https://www.pinnacleservicefamilies.co.uk/compulsory-safety-checks/
Insurance (Building and Contents) for your service family home	https://www.pinnacleservicefamilies.co.uk/in-my-home/in-my-home-buildings-and-contents-insurance/
Problems outside of my home	https://www.pinnacleservicefamilies.co.uk/problems-outside-of-my-home/
Pinnacle Complaints Process	https://www.pinnacleservicefamilies.co.uk/complaints/
Pinnacle Compensation Process (Including Loss of Heating Compensation):	https://www.pinnacleservicefamilies.co.uk/compensation/

 

Information provided by: Central HIVE Hub

Lichfield: Welfare Contact Flats Information for DMS Whittington

Information provided by: Central HIVE Hub

DIO Families First Newsletter – Issue 29

The latest issue of the Families First newsletter is now available on the Defence Homes website and Defence Connect.

Dreghorn: Pinnacle drop-in sessions, Tuesdays 1300-1500

click on image to enlarge

Information provided by Leuchars HIVE

Military Mortgage Advice – Housing Webinars, July to Sept 25

Webinars | Military Mortgage Advice

Blandford: Welfare/contact house short term use accommodation

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Information provided by Bovington HIVE via BGSU Welfare team

Bovington: Garrison contact houses for short term accommodation use

To book email David.Oakes747@mod.gov.uk or Adrian.Ingham629@mod.gov.uk

or call 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

Blandford: Garrison Carpet cleaner hire

Information provided by Bovington HIVE

DIO Service Family Accommodation (SFA) Communications Update – 11 July 25

Planning for move-ins/outs and removals this summer

Summer is the busiest time of the year for housing allocations and removal activity. Our suppliers will always strive to meet your preferred dates, however because of the volume of requests, on occasions this is not always possible.

To help manage this busy time and ensure you have a smooth experience, we recommend families consider our advice and guidance when planning for move-ins/outs and removals:

Book your pre-move-out appointment with your Housing Officer as soon as you apply for your next SFA (at least 30 working days ahead of your scheduled move-out date). We have extended the time to complete a pre-move-out appointment from 14 to 30 working days, allowing more time for you to receive advice on moving-out and guidance to prepare your house in meeting the move-out standard. If circumstances allow, please only request services during the last week of July and first week of August if you are unable to move at any other time. These are particularly popular dates and tend to be fully booked in advance. We understand how important it is to receive your next allocation and status of your application as soon as possible. Pinnacle have 15 working days to process your request, we kindly ask you do not chase for an update before this timeframe. You can start planning your removal as soon as Assignment Orders are received via the Agility Portal. To start the process, you only need the location and not a confirmed delivery address. Once you have been allocated SFA, it is advised to confirm availability for removals before booking a move-in/out appointment.

If you have any questions or concerns, please contact Agility directly (remember to include your service number). For further guidance, please visit the Pinnacle website.

Identifying your local named Housing Officer

To help you easily find out who your local point of contact is and ensure you can speak to your Housing Officer over the phone when you most need advice or help about your SFA – a full list of Pinnacle’s Housing Officers (including a name and direct telephone number) has been made available on the Pinnacle website, or you can call the National Service Centre on 0800 031 8628 (option 4).

You can find FAQs on the Defence Homes website, if you would like to find out more about the role of a Housing Officer, when you might contact them and additional ways of getting in touch.

This is in support of the SFA Consumer Charter commitment to provide families with better and clearer communication, including a named Housing Officer for every service family who can be contacted about housing related queries. Progress is underway for the remaining commitments which are due to be in place by December 2025.

JLL stock condition surveys return

From 21 July – 1 September 2025, DIO have commissioned Jones Lang LaSalle (JLL) to continue the Stock Condition Survey on 1,000 UK SFA homes across 20 sites. The homes selected will be of different types, age and condition.

If your SFA is selected, you will receive a notification letter from JLL at least 2 weeks before the intended date of the inspection, requesting your availability to allow the surveyor access to your property. The surveys will take a maximum of 1 hour.

Where possible, we greatly appreciate your cooperation if you can provide access to your property, as this will allow the surveyor to successfully carry out the survey and inform a detailed assessment of the condition of SFA homes.

Please note your home will not be selected if you have already taken part in a previous survey (from January 2025).

Leuchars: Pinnacle Drop-in sessions, Wednesdays 13:00-15:00

click on image to enlarge

Your local Pinnacle office Drop-in is on Wednesdays 13:00-15:00.

Information provided by Leuchars HIVE

Scotland: Residential vacancies in Edinburgh and Dundee at Scottish Veterans Residences

Scottish Veterans Residences currently have SPACES available for Veterans who are homeless, at risk of homelessness, or in need. 

There are a small number of vacancies at our residences in Edinburgh and Dundee, with a couple of possible openings in Glasgow soon. 

Please get in touch if you are a Veteran who is homeless, experiencing homelessness, or in need.

DIO Service Family Accommodation (SFA) Communications Update - 27 June 25

An update on communal areas

We have heard from many of you at our SFA roadshows and we know families wish to be able enjoy communal spaces and gardens to the front of their properties. In many cases, these areas provide a valuable space for garden furniture and play equipment.

We have a duty to ensure that communal areas are safe, but we also want to see a common-sense approach that balances safety and convenience for families.

The SFA Consumer Charter announced in April sets out our commitment to empower families and to enable you to take decisions about your home.

For the safety and enjoyment of all, please note the following advice regarding the use of outdoor communal spaces:

• Families are encouraged to use and to enjoy gardens and communal areas.
• Communal areas can be used for families to gather and socialise, provided this does not disturb other neighbours.
• Families have the choice to use items (such as garden furniture) in external communal areas. If families wish for our teams to carry out ground maintenance, we kindly request items are removed when not in use (as they will need access to a clear area to carry out the work). However, if families find enjoyment and pride in maintaining the area themselves, they are welcome to keep their items out.
• Please talk to your Housing Officer regarding larger items that are fixed and cannot be easily removed such as trampolines, swing sets, bike stores etc that you wish to place in communal areas.
• Items that pose an immediate health and safety risk to others such as rope swings, and tree houses may be removed without notice to ensure the safety of all.

DIO Families First Newsletter – Issue 28

Click to enlarge.

The latest issue of the Families First newsletter is now available on the Defence Homes website and Defence Connect.