Access to our services for the armed forces

Advice and guidance for our armed forces community.

Housing advice

If you have been served notice at your MOD accommodation because you are leaving the armed forces, we can offer you housing advice and assistance.

If you have been served notice and live within the New Forest District Council area, you can complete a short online form to refer yourself for advice or assistance at Housing Assistance Referral Portal.

You will then be contacted by the team to get some more information about your situation. If needed, you will be allocated to a homeless officer to complete a tailored assessment of your circumstances which will provide you with options to consider and pursue to prevent your homelessness.

Funding private rented accommodation

One of the options when you are coming out of MOD accommodation is to consider private rented accommodation. We often help people source and secure this type of accommodation to move to. If you are homeless or threatened with homelessness, we may be able to assist you with a loan to pay the deposit and months rent in advance to secure a private rented property.

You can contact the team to be considered for this by referring yourself to us at Housing Assistance Referral Portal or contacting the Homeless Prevention Team at homeless.prevention@nfdc.gov.uk .

Some of our serving members of the armed forces or veterans can access financial assistance from SSAFA, the Armed Forces charity, to pay for costs relating to a move into private rented.

We often work alongside SSAFA to support a veteran or member of the armed forces when helping to prevent homelessness.

Council or housing association accommodation

If you are resident in the New Forest area you can apply for social housing and join the Homesearch Housing Register.

The register advertises all general needs council and housing association accommodation available in our area on a weekly basis.  You will be asked a few initial questions to ensure you qualify to apply.

Following this you will be able to access the application form to complete. Whilst this is an option to consider, in practice it can be a long wait on the register before an applicant is successful for council or housing association accommodation as the demand is extremely high.

We do give additional priority on the register for members of the armed forces who are coming out of service, but the wait can still be lengthy.

Tax and benefit help available

Please check to see if you or anyone you live with is entitled to Council Tax discounts and exemptions . 

If you are paying your Council Tax over 10 months, April to January, and would prefer to pay over 12 months, April to March, please contact usand we can arrange this.  Although the total amount you pay will be the same, some people on fixed incomes prefer to pay every month.

If you are on a low income and you may be able to get help with paying your Council Tax.  If you pay rent you may be eligible to claim housing benefit. 

When we assess any entitlement to Council Tax Support or Housing Benefit we do not take into account any income you may get from the following:

• Constance attendance allowance
• Comforts allowance (higher rate)
• Comforts allowance (lower rate)
• Mobility supplement
• War disability pension - unemployabilty supplement
• War disability pension
• War pensions additions

if you need help to fill in the forms you can visit one of ourinformation offices.

If you pay rent and of working age you can claim Universal Credit. 

There is lots of information about support with the cost of living , extra help paying your rent, and we work in partnership with lots of local organisations to support households, for example food larders to help with food, Citizens Advice New Forest. who provide free advice and information on a  range of matters, including housing, debt, employment and benefits, and New Forest Disability Information Service who provide advice, help and support to anyone with a disability.

For advice and information you can email benefits@nfdc.gov.uk or call us on 01590 646111.

Voting and electoral registration

Register to vote as a member of HM Armed Forces