Establishing a family home in the area

Buying a house 

Advice on how to buy  a house  while you are still serving can be  found on the  Joint Services Housing advice office (JSHAO) website. 

Help to Buy Schemes can help you get on the property ladder:  

• GOV.UK: Help to Buy scheme 
• GOV.UK: Forces Help to Buy scheme  - the Forces Help to Buy Scheme can only be used prior to your last six months of service. You should think about applying for the scheme at least 12 months before leaving service. 

Shared Ownership 

Shared Ownership is another option to help towards home ownership.  This is where you own a certain share of the property and the rest is owned by a housing association to whom you pay a small amount of rent. 

You can apply for shared ownership if you have a household income of less than £80,000 per year (£90,000 in London). You need to demonstrate that you can't afford to buy a home on the open market, have a good credit rating and having enough savings to cover the legal costs of buying a home and the deposit. 

Where a shared ownership home has been provided through government funding priority must go to serving military personnel and former members of the British Armed Forces discharged in the last two years. 

Ministry of Defence personnel will be prioritised for shared ownership schemes where:  

• They have completed their basic (phase one) training and they are one of the following:  
  • Regular service personnel (including Navy, Army and Air Force) 
  • Clinical staff (with the exception of doctors and dentists) 
  • Ministry of Defence Police Officers 
  • Uniformed staff in the Defence Fire Service 
• They are ex-regular service personnel who have served in the Armed Forces for a minimum of  six years, and can produce a Discharge Certificate (or similar documentation) as proof, where they apply within two years (24 months) of the date of discharge from service. 
• They are the surviving partners of regular service personnel who have died in service, where they apply within two years (24 months) of the date of being bereaved. 

For more information and advice visit  Shared Ownership Shop. 

Renting a House  

Check to see if you are eligible to join the housing register in the area and to apply for social housing.

Further information on private renting can be found in the Private Renting section of our website. 

Joint Services Housing advice office (JSHAO)  also have advice on how to rent a house whilst you are still serving. 

Other rental schemes such as  Rent Plus  provide specific rental contracts that allow you to buy at the five year, 10 year and 15 year point and support you into home ownership through advice and guidance.