Housing, especially for those with families is a highly sensitive topic. It was one of the reasons I took my 38 point option to leave. I never minded living in poor conditions but I didn’t see why my family (wife + 3 young kids) should. Having lived in very poorly maintained MQs for years, I was posted to a station where all the OMQs were being gutted and rebuilt and was told not to expect to be allocated one during my tour. I asked to retain the quarter we were in. The request was instantly denied and I was told to apply for a surplus quarter, which I did. The MQ allocated was over 50 miles in the “wrong” direction. So I would be commuting almost 260 miles for three years to see my family. Then, due to “further exigencies of the service” I was told my posting would to a station another 75 miles away where again I would not be able to get an MQ. We bought a house. Two years later, with less than two years to my 38 point I was posted back to my original station. I realised that my card seemed to be marked and lost the desire for another 17 years of the same.