Government accepts recommendations on improving Service Accommodation – service personnel can and should claim

Hilary Meredith Solicitors welcomes today’s announcement that the UK government accepts the majority of the Defence Committee’s recommendations for improving the quality of accommodation available to Service Personnel.

Reacting to today’s announcement, Hilary Meredith-Beckham, Chair of Hilary Meredith Solicitors and Visiting Professor of Law and Veterans’ Affairs at the University of Chester said:

“For far too long military personnel and their families have lived in shockingly poor accommodation. I have witnessed this first hand during my many visits to military barracks over the years.

“The movement of the military and their families means that quite often they are not in one place long enough to register complaints over sub-standard accommodation. This has worked to the advantage of MoD, in that no one stays in a property long enough to complain about it.  Today’s announcement is a step in the right direction, but it requires a long-term commitment from the MoD to ensure service accommodation is truly fit for purpose moving forward.”

Added Simon Quinn, Partner & Head of Military at Hilary Meredith Solicitors:

“It is unforgiveable that in 2025 the Defence Committee’s report described Service Accommodation as ‘shocking’ and found that problems with damp and mould persist. It is imperative that service personnel, veterans, their families and friends are aware that since 1987, the UK's Armed Forces service personnel and veterans have had the right to seek compensation from the Ministry of Defence (MoD) through civil claims for compensation if they have been injured as a result of the MoD's negligence including injuries such as respiratory, eye and skin problems arising from poor, damp, mouldy and unsuitable service accommodation.”

Injured military service personnel CAN and should claim against the MoD whilst still in service and we have reassurance that this will not affect their armed forces career:

“The military careers of Armed Forces personnel who claim under the Armed Forces Compensation Scheme or through the Court should not suffer as a result of that claim.” Baroness Taylor

​In addition to a civil claim for compensation, military service personnel and veterans may be able to make a claim under the no-fault Armed Forces Compensation Scheme (AFCS) which covers all regular and reserve personnel whose injury, ill health or death was caused by service on or after the 6th April 2005.

Military claims can be complex to deal with especially for any solicitors without the requisite specialist knowledge in this area.  There really is no substitute for experience when dealing with military cases and with over 37 years of experience fighting for the rights of serving personnel, their families and veterans, Hilary Meredith Solicitors has the experience that counts.

Hilary Meredith Solicitors are Lexcel accredited; a member of the Royal British Legion Solicitors Group and have recovered hundreds of millions of pounds in compensation for our clients.  We regularly achieve six figure settlements in military cases involving loss of service career as a result of injury and regularly achieve seven or eight figure settlements for other seriously injured military claimants.  We expedite our injured military claimant’s cases and arrange rehabilitation from the outset/earliest opportunity for those who require it.

For Military personal injury cases already underway with other Solicitors we offer a free no obligation review/2nd opinion.

Don’t delay, contact Hilary Meredith Solicitors today.