Social Housing for Armed Forces

Jamie Mann

Ex-service personnel will have an advantage finding a home in Scotland’s capital. City of Edinburgh Council have announced that time spent in the armed forces will will be seen as equal to the time civilians have been awaiting a home on Edinburgh’s housing register, EdIndex. The partnership between the Council and 20 Housing Associations and Co-operatives in Edinburgh, EdIndex allows the public to apply for social and mid-rent housing as well as shared-ownership.
The decision was confirmed yesterday at the Health, Social Care and Housing Committee and was owed to the hardships of ex-servicemen and women in finding social housing following their time spent living abroad or in service accommodation.

Armed forces personnel will still be treated equally to civilians on the housing register however, those serving will have their time abroad taken into account. For example those who have served five years will receive the same consideration as someone who has been on the register for council housing for five years.

These new regulations will apply to service personnel whom have registered with EdIndex within three years of leaving the armed forces.

The City of Edinburgh Council website advises:

“There is not enough social housing in Edinburgh for everyone who applies for it. If you are not considered in priority need for social housing you could be waiting many years before you are successful for a house.”

In addition to the this agreement, it was also decided that the City Council and the Ministry of Defense would collaborate to provide specialist advice to armed forces personnel planning on living in Edinburgh.

Edinburgh’s Government notes that 16,600 new homes are required over a decade with an average of 138 bids for each Council and home advertise don the Key to Choice Website.

And what do you think?

Here’s what the general public thought when we hit the streets to find out: