From Military Life to Civvy Street: The Things Nobody Tells Us

By Amy Lovely

After years of postings, SFA and having a ready-made community around you, civvy street can feel like a whole new adventure.

There’s the excitement of finally having a home that is truly yours, but also a surprising number of things nobody tells you about.

This is a look at the little things that can make the move from military life to civvy street feel very different. Because sometimes, it’s the things you never thought you’d have to think about that catch you out!

Leaving military life and moving into your own home is a huge milestone.

After years of postings, being told where you will live, choosing between the three houses left on the street you’ve been given, and living in Service Family. Accommodation (the magnolia will haunt us for life), finally having something that is truly your own is incredibly exciting.

“What do you mean I can wallpaper and paint in WHATEVER I WANT?!”

But there are things we don’t know about living on civvy street. Surprisingly, quite a few things. And nobody really prepares us for them.

Suddenly, we are responsible for a lot of things we weren’t responsible for in SFA, while discovering that the ready-made community we have relied on so heavily isn’t necessarily waiting for us when we arrive at our new, chosen front door.

So, you’re moving in… now what?

One of the first things that can feel strange is all the extra bits we suddenly have to set up. Yes, you read that right. We have to set up Council Tax, water and home insurance.

In military accommodation, many of these things are already organised for us. Council Tax and water charges are incorporated into the arrangements for Service Family Accommodation, with deductions handled through Service systems. We don't necessarily see it, deal with it or, dare I say, even think about it.

And then there’s the house itself. We no longer have the luxury of calling Pinnacle when the boiler makes a funny noise or the window lock decides it no longer wants to work. These things are now down to us as homeowners on civvy street, that can be a big adjustment. Home insurance becomes something we need to research ourselves . What is covered, what isn't, how much it costs and what level of cover we actually need.

And then there is the inevitable:

“Wait… what day is bin day?”

It sounds so simple, but when you have moved around with the military for so many years, these are exactly the sorts of things you may never have had to think about.

In SFA, we now even get a lovely little welcome box with all the information we need about these things, along with a few other lovely extras. I'm talking about you, Yorkshire Tea bag. And this brings me to something else that is so different.

Community. The community we dont realise we have.

The military comes with a ready-made community.

You move onto that estate and know that everyone else on the street is living the same life as you. They been in the same position. They understand the postings, the moves, the uncertainty. They understand that when the removal lorry arrives, the entire street will probably know about it within approximately four minutes.

You only need to meet your neighbour once before you start quizzing them “Where does the best Chinese food?”

Or you join the local social media groups, ask a question and suddenly you have ten answers, three recommendations and an invitation for a cuppa.

And no question is too silly.

Because we're all out here starting again.

Rebuilding a life.

Trying to settle.

Making friends.

Finding the best places to eat.

Finding the best schools.

Finding the nearest supermarket.

All while knowing that, realistically, we might be doing it all over again in two, three or four years.

Then you arrive on civvy street…

And suddenly that ready-made network isn't there.

It's the small chat with your new neighbours. It's being polite and apologising for the inconvenience of the enormous removal lorry blocking half the road. It's trying to work out who the local authority is. It's Googling the bin collection. It's searching for local Facebook groups. It's asking around for recommendations.

And if you haven't guessed yet, I am a massive foodie. Trust me, Google has let me down on local restaurant recommendations more than once.

You slowly start to build your own network.

But it isn't instant.

Before you leave military life, you don't always realise just how much you rely on that connection.

The people who have your back.

The people who understand.

The people who don't need an explanation because they've lived it too.

That community is something incredibly special.

But then comes the biggest change of them all…Freedom.

Suddenly, your time is done and it's time to choose where you want to settle. You get to choose the area, the house, the colour of the walls and what your garden looks like. You get to put pictures up without wondering whether you're going to have to fill the holes in before you move. Your house is YOURS. And that is something very special.

Eventually, you build a whole new community, just like you did at every other posting.

It might not happen overnight. You might have to work your way through a few dodgy takeaways. You might take a few wrong turns trying to find the kids; activities you booked them into.

You might spend far too long trying to work out which school everyone recommends.

But you get there.

And the difference is… You don't have to leave and start all over again.

You can put down roots, watch your children grow up in the same house. You can get to know your neighbours. You can find your favourite local coffee shop. You can become the person who knows when the bins go out and where to get the best Chinese. And then, suddenly… This is home.

At JB Property Law, we know this life.

Some of us have lived it. Some of us are still living it.

We understand the postings, the moves, the uncertainty, the excitement and the challenges that come with military life.

And we understand that buying your own home isn't simply about bricks and mortar.

It's about putting down roots. It's about choosing where your next chapter will be. It's about finally having a front door that is yours.

And if you have questions along the way. Whether they're about the property itself, the conveyancing process or all the things you suddenly realise you need to figure out we're here.

We are your community.

We can help you through the process of buying your home and, hopefully, make some of the unfamiliar bits feel a little less unfamiliar.

Because we know the journey.

We know you. We are you. We've got you.

Let's build a home.