A recent BAFF blog post mentioned that the first phase of the Renters' Rights Act 2025 is due to come into force in May 2026.

There was nothing specifically about service accommodation in the Renters' Rights Bill as first introduced by the Labour Government - or in its predecessor Bill introduced under the Conservative Government but never completed its stages before the General Election in 2024.

Sarah Gibson MP (Lib Dem, Chippenham) found cross-party support for a clause to be added to the Bill to require an annual assessment of

(a) the extent to which service family accommodation in England meets the relevant standards during that year, and 

(b)the work to maintain and improve the standard of service family accommodation in England that is undertaken during that year and planned for subsequent years.

The first report will cover the year 1 April 2026 to 31 March 2027.

This provision only covers England, but the Act also includes powers for Scottish and Welsh Ministers to make complementary provisions for their jurisdictions.

While elections are imminent in both Scotland and Wales, we trust that the necessary regulations will be adopted as soon as possible, so that assessment of service accommodation in both nations can proceed on a similar timetable to England's.

• Part 3 Renters' Rights Act 2025 - Decent Homes Standard
• The Renters' Rights Bill - Sarah Gibson MP

The Government proposes, in the Armed Forces Bill currently before Parliament, to establish a new standalone corporate body to be called the Defence Housing Service.

According to the Ministry of Defence, the purpose is

to renew tens of thousands of military homes and address years of underinvestment as government vows to renew the nation’s contract with those who serve by delivering better housing, services and boosting protections for those who serve.

According to the Bill as submitted, the primary functions of the Defence Housing Service would be:

• improving the supply and quality of defence housing,
• managing land or other property used (or formerly used) for defence purposes,
• securing the regeneration or development of such land or other property, and
• supporting in other ways—
  • the creation, regeneration or development of service communities, and
  • the continued wellbeing of those communities.