Housing for armed forces personnel

Housing can be a concern for people leaving the armed services when they lose their military accommodation and need an affordable home. Equally former serving veterans and their families may face housing difficulties at some point in their life.

Any applicant who has completed their service in the armed forces within the past five years will be eligible for additional housing needs without a connection to Salford.

Armed Forces (the army, marines, naval and air forces)

The following applicants will be exempt from the local connection criteria:

  • Currently serving or former members of the armed forces who left the service within five years of their application for an allocation.
  • Persons who are serving or who have served in the armed forces and who suffer from a serious injury or disability which is attributable in whole or part to that service; and,
  • A spouse or civil partner who is or was living in accommodation provided by the Ministry of Defence and whose former spouse or civil partner was a serviceman whose death was attributable in whole or in part to their service.
  • Divorced or separated spouses or civil partners of service personnel who need to move out of accommodation provided by the ministry of defence.

Please be clear on your housing applications that you are serving or have served in the armed forces.

Salford Home Search

Salford Home Search is an innovative way of letting properties. The scheme gives you more choice when looking for your new home in Salford. It allows you to register, express your interest in properties and make most amendments to your application. The service has appointed an armed forces champion, please contact Salford Home Search for more information.

Salford Housing Options Point (SHOP) and homelessness assistance

Salford Housing Options Point (SHOP) is a one-stop shop for all aspects of housing advice. The service is free, impartial and confidential and is available to anyone including people who own their own properties or who rent privately.

SHOP will try to prevent homelessness when they can through a range of measures including:

  • Registration with Salford Home Search and nominations to other registered providers of social housing
  • Mediation with landlords or lenders where there is a risk of repossession
  • Assistance with housing benefit and discretionary housing payment claims
  • Helping you to access accommodation in the private rented sector with the assistance of our Rental Bond Scheme

If they are not able to prevent you from becoming homeless, or you are already homeless when you seek our assistance, they will need to carry out a homelessness assessment. SHOP will aim to assist you with finding temporary accommodation and securing settled accommodation. The service has appointed an armed forces champion, to contact them email housing.advicecentre@salford.gov.uk.

Opening a bank account with No Fixed Address

HSBC are working in partnership with Shelter to offer a ‘No Fixed Address’ service to allow homeless people to open bank accounts.

The Supported Tenancies Service

The Supported Tenancies Service is a tenancy support and resettlement service which helps people with additional support needs to access and sustain accommodation. This support is for a short period (up to six months) and will often be in relation to:

  • Helping clients to apply for benefits including as housing benefit, JSA, Income Support and Universal Credit
  • Advice on budgeting, maximising your income and managing rent arrears or other debts
  • Helping you settle into your home, contacting utility suppliers, managing your home. Talking to your landlord/housing provider about issues such as repairs, rent and any neighbour issues
  • Accessing services for you and your family members including health services, school places, drug and alcohol services

Supported Tenancies welcomes applications from ex-armed forces personnel who feel that they would need additional support in relation to accessing and sustaining their accommodation. The service has appointed an armed forces champion called Rebecca Holden who can be reached by calling 0161 607 1620.

Salford Home Improvement Agency and the housing market support team

Salford Home Improvement Agency and the housing market support team can help owner occupiers and renters with their housing issues. The teams can:

  • Work with service personnel in advance of their return to Salford, providing the extra help that service personnel may need to find a suitable home for them and/or their family
  • Resolve problems with private landlords to ensure that properties are well-maintained and well-run, especially ‘houses in multiple occupation'
  • Provide guidance and support to effectively manage an empty property that is owned by a member of the armed service
  • Provide advice and help to access finance to repair the homes of ex-service personnel who own their own home
  • Manage housing problems and needs arising out of stay in hospital

Find out more by ringing 0161 793 2896 for further information and advice.

Disabilities and help with everyday living

The adult social care team is the first point of contact to discuss your support needs on 0161 206 0604. Please make yourself known to a member of the team that you are ex-armed forces. Salford disregards 100% of the following relation to charging for non residential services:

  • War Disablement Pension
  • War Pensioners Mobility Supplement
  • War Widows Special Payment
  • Anything over the basic state pension rate of any war widows pension

Disabled Living

Disabled Living is a charity based in Wardley that can advise you about disability equipment. You can try out some of the equipment to see what might help best. Telephone number is 0161 607 8200.

SSAFA

SSAFA is a national charity that provides support to thousands of armed forces personnel and their families. The Salford branch can be contacted at ssafa.salford@hotmail.co.uk or 0161 728 4809.

The Royal British Legion

Short and long term care

The Royal British Legion provides short and long term care for serving and ex-service people and their dependants in Royal British Legion Care Homes around the country. The legion provides support to thousands of armed forces personnel and their families. Pop in centres are the legion's new High Street presence. Each centre offers a welcoming space for Service personnel, veterans and their families to get practical help and advice. You will also find representatives from Combat Stress and RFEA in some of the centres to help with your questions or needs. 

Independent Living and Handy Van Service

The Royal British Legion have launched their new Independent Living Service. The service covers England, Wales and Northern Ireland. It offers a high quality, friendly and professional service to live safe and well at home. There are two parts to the service; the Independent Living Advice Service and the Legion Handy Van Service.

They offer support face to face, over the telephone and email to help you work towards goals that are important to you.

The Independent Living Service can help with:

  • Specialist information and advice about independent living options
  • Aids and adaptations
  • Assistance with disabled facilities grants and challenges
  • Small maintenance jobs
  • Home safety checks
  • Winter warmth checks
  • Help and support to navigate social services
  • Help and support to challenge decisions
  • Help to address isolation and loneliness
  • Information on local services
  • Setting up your own social groups
  • Help to understand your rights and speak up

Who can use this service?

Anybody who has served, is currently serving in the armed forces or are a dependent, spouse or partner of someone who is serving or has served.

Contact us:

Call our friendly contact centre on 0808 802 8080 (open 8am to 8pm, seven days a week)

Visit one of our pop in centres, the nearest one to Salford is at 59 Cross Street, Manchester, M2 4JW.

Download a copy of the Handy Van leaflet from the bottom of this page, complete and return the enquiry form to us, someone will get back to you as soon as possible.

Citizens Advice

Citizens Advice provides guidance on housing options for people leaving the armed forces, veterans and their families.

The MOD Army

The MOD Army provides subsidised accommodation for its servicemen and women. Visit their website for details of service personnel entitlement to service accommodation and removals for personal possessions on assignment to a new area.

The Naval Families Federation

The Naval Families Federation provides details of service families accommodation, short term accommodation and other housing options.

The Royal Air Force Families Federation

The Royal Air Force Families Federation provides details of Service Family Accommodation (SFA), Single Living Accommodation (SLA) and civilian housing options.

Veterans UK

Veterans UK provides advice regarding the help available to ex-service personnel who are homeless or are threatened with homelessness.

Broughton House

Broughton House home for ex-servicemen and women is registered with the Care Quality Commission to provide up to 50 individuals with residential or nursing care. This is conducted in a comfortable home which has single and twin ensuite rooms.

Emmaus Salford

Emmaus Salford is a registered charity for the homeless. It enables people to move on from homelessness and provide them with work and a home in a supportive, family environment. Companions, as residents are known, work full time collecting renovating and reselling donated furniture. This work supports the community financially and enables residents to develop skills, rebuild their self-respect and help others in greater need. For further information, contact 0161 737 8279.

The Humphrey Booth Housing Charity

The Humphrey Booth Housing Charity is a registered social landlord and almshouse provider with 48 units on three estates in Salford. The housing stock is comprised of predominantly studio apartments with separate bathroom and kitchen, one-bedroom units, one two-bedroom apartment, and two new-build disabled access, two-bedroom, bungalows. The Humphrey Booth Housing Charity's governing order specifies age-related criteria with a preference for residents to be over 60 years of age.  Resident criteria requires applicants to be Salford inhabitants. Contact 0161 736 2989 for further information.

Home ownership schemes

Military families are also being helped by national homeownership schemes.

Downloadable documents

If you are unable to view documents of these types, our downloads page provides links to viewing software.

This page was last updated on 7 December 2021

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