Who Qualifies

You can apply to live in Department of National Defence (DND) housing if you are:

  • A regular Canadian Armed Forces (CAF) member posted to a new location or already living in the area.
  • A Reserve Force member working full-time (minimum 37.5 hours per week) and at minimum on a 6-month contract.
  • A foreign military/exchange member.
  • A Government of Canada (GC) civilian indeterminate employee working in support of DND.
  • A Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) employee, a Military Family Resource Centre employee or Canadian Forces Morale and Welfare Services (CFMWS) employee (CANEX, SISIP Financial Services, and Personnel Support Programs) working for a minimum of 27.5 hours per week.
  • An indeterminate employee of other GC departments.
  • A Department of National Defence (DND) contractor on contract over 6 months.

Allocation of DND Housing Units

The Canadian Forces Housing Agency (CFHA) allocates housing based on the following priorities:

  • Priority 1 – CAF members (regular or reserve*) or foreign military/exchange personnel who are posted to a new location and are authorized to move at public expense.
  • Priority 2 – CAF members (regular or reserve*) who already live in the area but have applied to move into DND housing. It also includes CAF members currently living in housing that have a change in family size and would like to move into a different-size unit. Priority 2 occupants will be considered after all Priority 1 occupants have been accommodated.
  • Priority 3 – GC employees who would like to move into DND housing. This group includes RCMP members, indeterminate Public Service employees working in support of DND, full-time CFMWS employees, indeterminate employees of other GC departments, and DND contractors on contracts over 6 months. They are considered opportunity occupants and will only be considered when surplus housing exists that exceeds our current and projected needs. Should the homes be needed for Priority 1 occupants, the opportunity occupants will be given at minimum a 30-day notice to vacate.

In all cases, we assign housing based on the household size on a first-come, first-served basis, rather than on rank or position.

* If you are a Reserve Force member, you must be employed full-time (37.5 hours per week) and on a 6-month contract at minimum.

Household Size

Your military records will detail household size. We will use this to determine the size of housing that may be assigned (based on priority and availability). We follow the household size indicated on your posting instruction or the household size indicated by your Orderly Room if your posting instructions were issued more than a year ago. We are not required to assign a housing unit that is larger than that is warranted by your record’s household size but we can in some circumstances where there is availability.

If you are a Priority 3 applicant, you do not need to provide a confirmation of household size because you will be offered any unit that is surplus to Priority 1 and 2 needs, and size will not be considered.

Applicants with Special Needs

There are some homes that have been modified to meet the needs of occupants with disabilities at most housing locations. Though we are required to maintain 2% of our housing portfolio as either barrier-free housing or as easily adaptable to barrier-free access housing, this requirement will only be met as new housing units are built. Existing housing and barrier-free housing needs are dealt with on a case-by-case basis.

Single Members

As a single member, you may apply to live in DND housing and you will be considered in the same priority system as all other applicants.

Members on Imposed Restrictions (IR)

If you are on or are about to proceed on IR, you may apply to live in DND housing. You will be considered as a Priority 1 applicant and a household of one.

Once your IR status has been lifted and your family and furniture have been moved at government expense, you must re-apply for housing and your application will be considered as a Priority 1.

Short Term Occupancy

It is possible to apply for short term or interim occupancy. These housing offers are possible at the discretion of the Housing Services Centre manager. These types of allocations do not involve regular preparations (e.g. painting, floor refinishing, etc.) but meet all health and safety standards. Note that a minimum occupancy of 60 days is required or charges will apply.

Non-Family Members

It is possible for you to share your housing unit with non-family members. However, since we do not “approve” unofficial household members, we are not required to allocate housing that is any larger than necessary based on your official household size, as indicated on your posting instructions or as indicated by your Orderly Room if your posting instructions were issued more than a year ago. We may allocate a larger house based on availability.

Waiting Lists

When the number of applicants exceeds the available DND housing, we create a waiting list, by priority, for each housing size. We will only allocate Priority 2 after the Priority 1 list has been exhausted. We will only allocate Priority 3 after both the Priority 1 and Priority 2 lists have been exhausted.

Your Change of Strength (COS) date and the date on the Application for DND Housing form will determine the placement and order on the waiting lists.

While you are on the waiting list, we will:

  • Notify you of the availability of housing as soon as possible, but no later than 60 days before your COS date.
  • Give you an estimated date of availability of a unit that meets your needs.
  • Notify you that you have 30 days after your reporting date to confirm your application with us and that failure to do so will result in your removal from the waiting list.

If you refuse a housing offer and decide to reapply, your new application will be dated as of the date the refused unit would have been available for occupancy or as of the date of your new application (whichever is later).

You can choose to remove your name from the waiting list by contacting us. We will remove you from the waiting list automatically if:

  • You do not respond to an offer within 72 hours.
  • You confirm opting for private accommodations.
  • You do not confirm your application with us within 30 days of your reporting date.

Releasing from the CAF

You can apply to stay in your unit past your date of release and you will be considered a Priority 1 applicant if you are eligible to move to an Intended Place of Residence (IPR), or if you are enrolled in an approved career transition or training program.

If you wish to request an occupancy extension, you must submit it in writing, including a copy of your release message confirming your IPR eligibility or your enrolment in an approved career or transition training program.

If you wish to extend the existing occupancy agreement past your date of release, and you are not eligible to move to an IPR and you are not enrolled in an approved career transition or training program, you may be eligible for a short extension at our discretion.