Ministry of Defence Accommodation Claim

We would like to hear from service personnel current paying for Single Living Accommodation. Those who are eligible to bring claims are:

• Army/Strategic Command – Under 37 or over 37 and unmarried
• Royal Navy/RAF – Unmarried of any age

In the UK our Courts and legal system are divided into three jurisdictions: England & Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland.

As long as your employment with the Ministry of Defence is substantially managed and directed in England & Wales we should be able to bring a claim on your behalf whether or not you have spent time serving overseas.

Unfortunately, we will not be able to deal with enquiries received from people who are substantially based and managed in Northern Ireland and would recommend that local advice services are contacted.
Contact us

Please get in touch by filling out one of our forms, or alternatively, you can contact us by email.

We will be seeking damages for the full amount paid by you for Single Living Accommodation, these are known as ‘pecuniary damages’.

For instance, an unmarried person under 37 who has been in Single Living Accommodation for 5 years paying £150 per month, will have paid out £9,000. The amount of compensation increases based on how many years you have spent in Single Living Accommodation.

We will also be claiming what is known as ‘non-pecuniary damages’ for disruption to life, which will be based on the inconvenience caused by your having to pay for your Single Living Accommodation while others received it for free.

We cannot give an exact figure for the compensation at this stage as this is dependent on both the outcome and your individual circumstances. You will only receive compensation if the claim is successful.

Claims will be brought under a ‘no win no fee agreement’, with Leigh Day taking 35% inc. VAT of any damages awarded. 

This means that if the claims are not successful, you will not have to pay any of our fees. As we will bring this claim in the Employment Tribunal the risk of you being required to pay the MoD's costs, in the event that the claim is unsuccessful, is minimal.

Yes. In 2021 an officer in the Royal Navy won a similar discrimination case regarding the types of accommodation offered to single people by the Ministry of Defence.

We are only able to bring claims for those who are currently serving. If you have paid for Single Living Accommodation within the last 6 months you may have a claim but we are unable to assist you with it.

If you have another problem with the Ministry of Defence we recommend that you review the guidance on the government website regarding making a complaint.

If you feel you have been discriminated against by the MoD in another way or if you want to challenge an issue that impact a large number of service personnel then please contact us.

Whilst it is impossible to give an entirely accurate estimate, as this will largely depend on the approach of the MOD, we anticipate that this claim could take four years to be resolved.

We’re working with the MOD to streamline the service complaints process. Over the past year, we’ve filed more than 3,000 claims without any reported issues, and as this is a group claim, you’ll be part of a large number of personnel, minimising any risk of being singled out.

It’s unlawful for your employment to be affected by bringing a claim, and we have extensive experience handling group employment claims against current employers.

A service complaint must be brought within six months of your last payment for Single Living Accommodation.

We tend to communicate through email, telephone, and post, but if you have any specific communication needs please let us know and we will do our best to accommodate you.

You can also give us permission to communicate with you through a friend or relative.

We understand that that life can get in the way of legal action, and the thought of bringing a claim can be daunting. As your claim will be part of a group action you will be one of many who are claiming. We have robust systems in place and have processes to make this as easy for you as possible. We are renowned as experts at this type of work.

Once we have received your instructions you may have as much or as little involvement as you like. Additionally, as noted above, you may engage with the claim through an adviser or another intermediary.

If the Future Accommodation Model (FAM) allowance has covered the cost of your SLA over the past the past six months, then you are not eligible to join the claim.
 
However, if you have paid for SLA within the last 6 months without a FAM payment you may still be eligible to join.