After phase 1 training is complete, can you live off camp privately in phase 2 if you don’t meet SFA?

Hi there, thanks for your question.

During phase 2 training I believe all personnel are required to live on site in accommodation provided at the Royal Military School of Music at HMS Nelson in Portsmouth. So, it wouldn't be likely that you would be permitted to apply for surplus SFA unless you had very specific circumstances.

Once you have finished training there and are assigned to a regular Army band you would then be eligible to apply for surplus Service Families Accommodation (SFA) in the area near your band. This is under a relatively new scheme that allows those who are not married but in an established long term relationship to fill empty houses not occupied by entitled families. Provided you can prove you are in a long term relationship (you need to demonstrate a commitment to the other person, such as paying utility bills or council tax together, or having a shared bank account) you would be eligible. However, the availability of housing completely depends on the area, so it's difficult to predict in advance - in some there are a lot of houses available, and others there is little to no surplus so there is a longer waiting list.

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Just to add to Bethan's comments above - usually you wouldn't be able to apply for SFA because of the duration of Phase 2. There may be the potential that you could approach the training staff during Phase 2 to live off camp in privately rented accomodation but to be honest, you'd not get that many landlords who who do such short letting contracts so probably better just to get through Phase 1 and 2 training and wait, like Bethan said, until you get to your unit where you know you're going to be in situ for at minimum 2-3 years and apply for an SFA. Hope this helps too.