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How to Apply for SFA

Moving to Service Family Accommodation (SFA)

If you are new to the Royal Air Force family and are moving into SFA in England, Scotland or Wales for the first time, or if you are moving on posting to a new area, you can talk to an expert who will be able to guide you through the process of applying for your SFA. The Defence Estates (DE) Housing Information Centres (HICs) are a ‘one stop shop’ for your SFA enquiries, such as what type of accommodation you are entitled to, what properties are available in the area you are moving to and the process and time lines you have to follow to apply for an SFA.

Who to Contact

The HICs can be contacted on a central freephone number – 0800 169 6322 – or you can find out more about the regional HIC offices on the Defence Estates Website. Please note that you can also contact the HICs by calling +44 (0)1904 418000, from overseas or 94 510 8000 on the military network.

Additional Needs Provision

The HIC staff can also help if you or your family members have any additional needs or disability requirements which may require alterations to be made to your SFA. They can liaise with the appropriate welfare agencies to ensure that, wherever possible, you get a home which meets the needs of your family. You must remember though to include all relevant information, with supporting written medical evidence, on your application for SFA. You can find out more in the DE Guide to Living in Service Family Accommodation, an excellent source of information which can be found here. For more information about the support available to you if a member of your family has a disability or additional needs, please see our Family Support and Education webpages.

Retention of SFA Beyond Entitlement

HIC staff will also deal with requests for the retention of your SFA eg if your children are at a critical stage in their education and you don’t want them to move schools at the time that you are due to be posted – more information can be found on the DE Website.

Entitlement Rules and Regs

To access all of the formal information about your entitlement, and the application process, on the Defence Estates Service Family Accommodation website pages.

Going Overseas

If you are moving to an overseas posting, further information can be found on the MOD website here.

Moving to Northern Ireland

If you are moving to a unit in Northern Ireland, further information can be found on the MOD website here.

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