Lib Dems secure win in Parliament to end mouldy, flooded homes for military heroes

EMBARGO: Immediate Release

The Liberal Democrats’ longstanding campaign to improve the quality of military family homes is finally set to be adopted in law – making military family homes legally subject to the Decent Home Standard for the first time ever.

The party has succeeded in amending the Renters’ Rights Bill to require the Ministry of Defence to assess service family accommodation annually and report on whether it meets the Decent Homes Standard.

The change creates a clear statutory mechanism for identifying and addressing shortcomings in the quality of service family housing. The Government initially refused to adopt the Liberal Democrats’ amendment to improve the standards for military housing in the Commons, but conceded after continued campaigning from Liberal Democrats in the House of Lords.

This concession will be a sea change for military families whose housing has never before been subject to decent home legislation. Service families have suffered for years in dire conditions including pest infestations, black mould, damp, flooding, and unreliable heating and hot water supply in winter.

Liberal Democrat research earlier this year revealed that more than 400 families were forced to apply for emergency repairs over VE Day, while constituents of Lib Dem Housing and Communities Spokesperson, Gideon Amos MP, reported family members who are currently serving being forced to live in rat-infested accommodation declared unfit for human inhabitation.

The Lib Dems have been campaigning on this issue for years. The party introduced an amendment in 2024 to the Renters’ Reform Bill which would have introduced a legally binding Decent Homes Standard for military homes – an amendment the Conservatives in government rejected.

Gideon Amos MP, Liberal Democrat Housing Spokesperson and sponsor of the amendment to the Renters Rights Bill, said:

“I am incredibly proud that the Liberal Democrats are successfully changing the law to give today’s military heroes decent homes.

“My father fought for Britain in the 1940s - I know how much our service personnel sacrifice to defend our country. The least they deserve is a decent home for them and their family to come back to, as they put their lives on the line and families await their return for months on end.

“Mould, rat infestations and damp cannot be any part of the accommodation the MoD provides them with.

“At long last, our military families will have the right to a liveable and decent home. That’s a change we should all be proud of.”

Baroness Olly Grender, who first introduced the amendment in the House of Lords, said:

“I am thrilled to see this proposal secured by the Liberal Democrats to do right by our military families. 

“Despite opposition and delay under both Labour and the Conservative governments, we’re proud to have achieved meaningful change that will benefit service personnel up and down the country.

“Now it’s on the shoulders of the Government to make sure this legal standard is properly upheld and that military families finally get the fair deal they were long promised.”

ENDS

Notes to Editors:

As reported here by the I: https://inews.co.uk/news/politics/mod-soldiers-homes-mould-damp-3973937