Ending mouldy, flooded homes for military families

Lib Dems win reforms to end mouldy, flooded homes for military families

The Liberal Democrats have hailed a breakthrough victory to bring military family homes up to the Decent Homes Standard in law, after years of campaigning by families and the party.

The change, secured after the Government conceded to a Liberal Democrat amendment to the Renters’ Rights Bill, will for the first time require the Ministry of Defence to assess Service Family Accommodation every year and report on whether it meets the Decent Homes Standard - creating a clear statutory mechanism for identifying and addressing shortcomings.

The Government initially rejected the Liberal Democrat amendment but conceded after sustained campaigning by the Liberal Democrats in Parliament.

Liberal Democrat research earlier this year revealed over 400 families were forced to apply for emergency repairs over VE Day in 2025, as some service families were living in damp, mouldy, and even rat-infested homes.

Bristol City Council’s Armed Forces Champion, Cllr Jos Clark (Liberal Democrat, Brislington West) said:

“I’m proud that the Liberal Democrats have successfully changed the law so our service families will finally have homes that are decent and safe to live in.

“I am also proud that as a city, the Council recently received a Silver Award in recognition of its commitment to the Armed Forces Covenant. This demonstrates Bristol’s dedication to removing barriers and providing the necessary support to our Armed Forces community.

“Those who serve our country deserve better than mould, damp, and cold homes. This change secured by Liberal Democrat MPs will help ensure they and their families can live with the dignity and security they deserve.”

Notes to Editors:

• Press release about the Council’s Armed Forces Covenant: Honouring Our Commitments to Bristol’s Armed Forces Community
• The amendment was initially tabled by Liberal Democrat Housing and Communities Spokesperson Gideon Amos MP and then retabled in the House of Lords by Liberal Democrat Peer and Spokesperson for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, Baroness Grender. It marks the culmination of years of work by the party to bring fairness and dignity to military housing, after the Conservatives in government rejected a previous attempt by the Liberal Democrats to change the law to improve the quality of military service family homes when the Renters’ Reform Bill was before Parliament, last year.  
• This change brings military housing within the scope of the Decent Homes Standard for the first time.
• The Decent Homes Standard requires homes to be safe, warm, and in a reasonable state of repair.