Relevant & Current Issues No.2 - Goodbye to MQs

No.2 With each Married Quater costing the Government £80K pa, how long will it take before we see this ?perk? Disappear?

Additional question: If the average soldier/sailor/airman has to pay commercial rates of rent he would be eligable for housing benefit. Is this right?

 

Interesting point / question about the eligibility to housing grants and one I can't answer.

Since the average serviceman is prone to moving about on a regular basis, if MQ's go then they need to consider some form of additional compensation for the turbulence - above the current refund of legal and sales / purchase expenses.

Makes me wonder what's next to be slashed?

SF

 

Hasn't it already started to disappear? A few years ago I lived in North Wiltshire and can remember an article in one of the local papers highlighting Abbey Wood as having been the first establishment where uniformed personnel work which had been built without any dedicated MQ provision.

For those areas with existing quarters, I don't think there'll be a change over-night to the provision of housing; call me cynical, but, what I think will happen is that the exisiting properties will be quietly passed into the hands of private companies. The private landlords then increase the level of rent and when service families decide that it is more economical to live elsewhere, the landlords will then be "forced" to open the housing to civilian families or those on waiting lists for local authority housing.

 

Well up here they have just completed a load of new quarters, detatched with garages, but then thats the RAF.

 

I have had MQs before I bought my own property so I can see both sides to this proposal (if it is one; I have yet to see or hear anything official about it). But I would like to play 'Devil's Advocate' for just a moment...

As the original post says, MQs are 'perks' - they are a privilege not an entitlement. My wife's company are not obliged to provide her with a house, so why should the MoD? Likewise with Married Accompanied postings; if my wife worked overseas I would not expect her company to pay for me to go out to live with her.

But despite this, MQs are a valuable means of allowing personnel to get a foot in the property ladder; live relatively cheaply in the community, save some money then go out into the big, wide world. But it concerns me when you see personnel who have lived in MQs all their married life and come their time to leave (22 years) they have to vacate the MQ - but have not save money to buy their own property, thus becoming another statistic in the 'handout society' we live in!

Or maybe I'm being ironic...

 

I've worked for a number of companies that offered a variety of items to its personnel that formed part of the overall take-home package. So, to use HR speak (ugh, someone shoot me please!), isn't the provision of a MQ part of the overall "reward package" offered? It mitigates the otherwise low pay that would otherwise be the only reward that servicemen and women receive, particularly at the junior levels.

Just an alternative view, from the perspective of civvy practices.

 

Rosyth did have a huge MQ patch . However they were all sold off to a private company -modernised and then sold on the open market.

Apart from Rosyth shutting down the Navy was offering the advance of pay for private ownership of houses -lots of MQ's weren't being used either cos the property market seemed the best option .

Snag now is the first time buyer --with house prices being quite high MQ's would be a soft option --council house availability is a no no cos the serviceman would not be considered as an applicant due to him being 'new ' to the area.

Flags---the private firms do usually offer a relocation package -but usually only open to key personnel [manager/supervisor status]

 

But relocation would be another element of a rewards package. The point I was trying to make (very badly) is that in civvy firms, the take home pay is just part of the overall rewards package. The overall package could include relocation, car(s), preferential loans for season tickets, luncheon vouchers, London weighting, subsidised housing, etc.

In civvy street, were a company to unilaterally remove part of what is seen as a benefit, then there would be serious consequences; in the services, we just roll over and take it

 

Married Quarters aren't a perk matey. You pay to live in sub standard accommodation, regardless of the shitty state.
£80.000 per annum per married quarter is some tossers way of making money, it most certainly isn't realistic and the government shithead who believes such bollocks should have been put down at birth in his dream world. Which Dandy or Beano have you been reading?

 

But most companies do in fact provide packages to do just that if some one is posted overseas, and either provide accomodation FOC or cash to rent so that you don't have to sell your UK house or depend on variable rental income to survive.

No more of a statistic than those who choose to live in public housing when they could buy, and there are still plenty of those around. The fundamental purpose of MQs used to be to provide affordable housing for the services so that families could follow their men and live close to their place of work.

Peter

 

You appear to have missed the irony in my question. Note the "?" before and after the word "perk".

I know the sum of £80,000 is monstrous, but it is the real figure of how much DH costs, (thanks to the crap contract signed up to). The fact of the matter is that the Gov. cannot afford it, which is why sailors will shortly be paying comercial rates for their MQs. This is in turn why I raised the point -because it effects us all. (Unless you aren't in the services?)

PS - I know where you're comming from Dabs.

 

I met a couple of blokes with loads of kids who had been in quarters all their service and then start panicking in year 20 as to how they are going to get a decent mortgage. Anyone remember when the single blokes actualy lived on the ships and when they got married they got a mortgage to buy a house? Interesting concept.
Mind you, MQ's were always interesting places to wake up in after trapping some slag in union street, trying to find your way through eggbuckland or St beudeux (forgive spelling) without being pinged by someone off your ship, oh happy days.

 

If they cost that much to maintain then why not just give them free of charge to any serving serviceman who has occupied a married quarter for more than 10 years?
Result great big saving, said serviceman would maintain quarter to high standard and when it comes to end of service he has a foot in the housing market

 

The married patch in Rosyth was bad for being known as a knocking shop.

When they sold them off, I didn't have the heart to say anything to my mum when she bought one.

When the Tories brought in the poll tax though, I was in hysterics seeing the single guys in barracks demanding crash drafts to anywhere but Scotland!

 

So was rowner in the late 60s early 70s

 

They've just about completed a load of them on the HMS Daedalus sight where the Field Gun track was and beyond.

 

Civvy companies that expect you to relocate every couple of years pay relocation packages which can run to £000's. If you are expected to relocate to an expensive area you receive a large lump sum to compensate for the difference in house prices. If you are sent overseas the package generally includes a housing allowance that allows you generally to pocket a sum per month, free flights home for holidays a medical package, education package for children and a company car. If you are senior enough it will also include a driver, maid etc....
I don't know of any seviceman that gets free housing when posted abroad or gets a freebie car thrown in as well.

 

Would that be to the limit of the track and beyond?

 

Bad news for the RN Foreign drafts is the fact that there aren't any worthwhile ones anyway . However in the old days :lol: historically speaking the pusser did us quite well with Local overseas allowances they had MQ's but only let you use them within the last six months of your draft . Reason was so that you could ship all your own stuff home.
Did a married accompanied in Singapore-lived in Malaya most of the time in a private rented house.Rented my own house in the UK no problem so was quite well off when we did come home.

 

MQ's are essential especially nowadays. Property prices in the South are way out of most servicemans reach, and its going to get worse.
However, we have had some e-mails onboard stating that service personnel are been awarded Key Worker Status, so that should help the youngsters get onto the property ladder.