"Unfit for human habitation" - Dozens of newly acquired Portsmouth military houses plagued by damp and mould

Hundreds of Service Family Accommodation (SFA) properties in the Portsmouth area were brought back into public ownership earlier this year, but many are still empty.

The Ministry of Defence (MoD) purchased 36,347 homes from Annington Property Limited. Officials said £600,000 in savings would be made daily by reacquiring the houses.

Data from the government body shows a total of 501 were bought in Portsmouth, 788 in Gosport, and 348 in Fareham. Out of these, 44 SFA properties in Portsmouth are not available to be lived in - 66 in Gosport and 15 in Fareham.

Portsmouth North MP Amanda Martin, who recently gave a tour of military accommodation in Hilsea for the veterans minister Al Carns, said the military is facing a crisis in recruitment and retention due to poor housing.

She added: “I’ve seen first-hand the state in which the last government left military properties – from black mould-covered walls in Hilsea to damp, cold, and taped-up windows in Farlington.” Ms Martin, Labour, said the morale hit a record low under the previous Conservative government, with only four in ten personnel being satisfied with service life.

Gosport MP Dame Caroline Dinenage, Conservative, said: “The last Government spent £400m to start bringing the military estate up to a decent level, but there is still so much to do - with many homes in the Gosport constituency alone sitting empty because they are unfit for human habitation. The Government says they will set aside £1.5bn to address the challenge, but it remains to be seen when this will start to filter through to make a meaningful difference to our service families and military personnel.”

Damp, mould, and broken windows

SFA properties have been made unavailable for habitation due to several reasons, such as allowing for repairs to take place, and for refurbishment projects to be completed. Ms Martin said the Annington deal was a “once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to fix the dire state of military housing” from the Conservative government.

She added that one of the biggest concerns raised by personnel was not having an individual housing officer for each family, an issue due to be fixed in the new Consumer Charter. “We all know what it’s like ringing a company, pressing two then three then one and all they want to do is speak to someone who will fix their washing machine leak, that’s what we are fixing,” Ms Martin added.

“We’ve already started raising the minimum standard of forces family housing through a new programme of works targeting the worst properties, with up to 1,000 homes being refurbished as a down payment on the broader programme of renewal to be set out in the Defence Housing Strategy. This work has already begun in Portsmouth, and I’ve seen the vast improvements being made to housing stock in our city. I understand that around 70 of the worst homes in Portsmouth are already scheduled for improvements or work has already begun.”

Portsmouth South MP Stephen Morgan, Labour, said Conservative politicians should hang their heads in shame after military houses were allowed to be left to rot under their watch. He added that it will take time to fix “years of failure” on forces housing, but the government is working at pace to deliver homes fit for heroes.

“Our Armed Forces serve with extraordinary dedication and courage to keep us safe. I will continue working with them here in Portsmouth to ensure they and their families live in the homes they deserve,” he said.

Ms Dinenage said she canvassed views from military personnel and brought them to the chair of the defence housing review. “ I delivered the key messages that too many houses are plagued by damp and mould and repairs are slow, uncoordinated and poorly communicated,” she added. “The Review promised me that they would report back later this year on plans to address these concerns.”

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The drive to fix armed forces accommodation

The government is investing £1.5bn into improving military accommodation. Hundreds of homes will be refurbished in the Portsmouth area as a result, as part of an extensive review of SFA. This is part of a wider £7bn investment across the UK, split between the Defence Housing Strategy and the new Consumer Charter.

The Strategic Defence Review said enhancing the standard of military housing should be a priority to improve military morale. It added that years of squeezing funding for housing maintenance has contributed to this issue.

The Defence Housing Strategy, due to be published later this year, will set out plans to improve the overall standard of accommodation and other matters. The new Consumer Charter commits to improving the complaints process, making it easier for families to move to different properties, and other initiatives.

An MoD spokesperson said: “We are committed to providing the armed forces with the homes they deserve. Work is underway on the Defence Housing Strategy, which will set out plans to improve the standard of service family homes across the UK. As part of the Strategic Defence Review, we are investing a further £1.5bn into improving service family accommodation.”

Fareham and Waterlooville MP Suella Braverman, Conservative, was approached for comment.