South Lanarkshire Council strengthens social housing priority for Service leavers

September 1, 2026

Service leavers were finding it difficult to secure accommodation. 

What was the situation?

Service leavers can often find it challenging to secure accommodation after leaving Service and transitioning to civilian life. If they apply for social housing, they may not meet ‘local connection’ criteria, or might not have applied for social housing before. This can often result in uncertainty for those who have left the Armed Forces as they try to navigate an unfamiliar social housing system.

What made this Covenant disadvantage?

Due to the nature of Service, members of the Armed Forces community may have less opportunity to establish local connection or plan for long-term accommodation in a particular area. This is due to making frequent relocations with the Armed Forces. This can make it more difficult for Service leavers to secure housing, including social housing, than civilians who may be more familiar with the process and are less likely to move as frequently.

What was done to help?

When South Lanarkshire Council’s housing allocation policy was introduced in 2009, Service applicants were awarded the highest single award of points available under the policy. The aim being that this would enable an offer of housing to be made when the applicant was discharged.

However, in 2010, it was identified that the points awarded to Service applicants were sometimes insufficient to enable an offer of housing to be made. An amendment to the allocation policy was made, to allow Service applicants who meet certain criteria to be awarded the highest priority for housing, and be queued on the Urgent Housing Need list, along with homeless applicants and those with an urgent medical need.

In 2019, further amendments to the eligibility criteria were made in relation to Service applicants, to allow connection to the area through previous kinship care arrangements, and to extend the timescale within which priority for housing can be awarded after date of discharge, from six weeks to up to six months.

What was the outcome?

Service leavers were given greater priority when applying for social housing. This ensured that their housing needs could be better addressed during transition to civilian life. Changes to the policy also enabled a wider range of Service applicants to qualify for support and provided more time for eligible veterans to access priority housing assistance following discharge.

Wider information

You can read more widely about:

• Covenant disadvantage and special provision (the two types of case study in this database)
• Covenant support for the Armed Forces community: Housing
• How local authorities can support the Armed Forces community and implement the Covenant

Disclaimer: This case study is part of the Covenant case study database. MOD has developed the database to illustrate examples of good practice for organisations in scope of the Covenant. It serves as a guide for effective Covenant delivery, offering practical insights into achieving fairness for the Armed Forces community. Delivery of the Covenant may vary across the UK. This means there is no guarantee the solution outlined in this case study is available in your area.