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Dispute process fact sheets (PFI/BLH SFA and substitute SFA) (November 2019)

Updated 7 October 2024

Charges for Damages and Deficiencies for PFI/BLH SFA and Substitute SFA- Recovery from Pay Process

On Move Out of your UK PFI/BLH managed Service Family Accommodation (SFA) or Substitute SFA (SSFA), you are deemed liable for damage and deficiencies charges by the DIO Regional Delivery (RD) Accommodation (Accn) Housing Estate Officer or Mears representative.

Charges for damages and deficiencies are raised because you have either failed to prepare the property to the correct Move Out standard or damage is not deemed as fair wear and tear.

If you agree with the charges assessment and consider that you ARE responsible for the damage, or that the damage is not a result of fair wear and tear, then you need take no further action.

If you consider that you are NOT responsible for the charge or part of the charge, or that the damage is a result of fair wear and tear, you should sign the Statement of Charge (SOC) form and annotate the comments area with “Charges Disputed”. You should then keep a record of your supporting evidence and if possible, take photographs to support your dispute.

The charge form is sent to the DIO RD Accn Damage Charging Team for scrutiny and you will be notified by post with one letter the charges which you are deemed liable for to be recovered from your pay. A copy of the SOC form will also be attached.

You can raise an official Stage 1 dispute of the charges by completing and submitting a Stage 1 Disputed Charges Form. You can only dispute the charges using the Stage 1 Disputed Charges form which is available online (MOD systems only).

Once you have completed the Stage 1 Disputes Charges form and provided as much detail as possible/photographs to support your case, you should email the form to the DIO RD Accn Damage Charging Team via: [email protected].You will receive an automatic acknowledgement from the DIO RD Accn Damage Charging Team on receipt of your form.

Your Stage 1 Dispute form is logged by the DIO RD Accn Damage Charging Team and sent to the local DIO RD Accn Housing Estate Manager responsible for the SFA or the DIO RD Accn Substitute Accommodation Team (SAT) Delivery Manager for SSFA.

The DIO RD Accn Housing Estate Manager or DIO RD Accn SAT Delivery Manager will investigate the dispute and make the decision as to whether the charges are valid and appropriate. The decision and response are then sent back to the Damage Charging Team for processing.

The DIO RD Accn Damage Charging Team will inform you of the Stage 1 Dispute decision in writing by letter via email.

Please note: If the charges are deemed valid and appropriate by DIO, then the charges will be recovered directly from your pay via the Joint Personnel Administration (JPA) system.

Should you still disagree with the charges raised and Stage 1 Dispute decision, you can submit a Stage 2 Dispute to the DIO RD Accn Area Housing Estate Manager or DIO RD Accn SAT Manager.

You can only raise a Stage 2 Dispute using the form available online. (MOD systems only).

Please note: Damage and Deficiencies charges have two levels of dispute, Stage 1 and 2 only.

Once you have completed the Stage 2 Dispute form and provided additional evidence/photographs to support your case, you should email the form to [email protected].

You will be informed of the Stage 2 Dispute decision made by the DIO RD Accn Area Housing Estate Manager or DIO RD Accn SAT Manager in writing by letter via email.

NB: If the charges are still deemed valid and appropriate by DIO, then the charges will be recovered directly from your pay via the JPA system.

The charges will be recovered by DIO directly from your pay via the Joint Personnel Administration (JPA) system. Any payments taken would depend on the size of the charge and your monthly income (using existing MOD guidelines to ensure that deductions do not exceed a set limit of pay).