Purpose -Life cycle costing (LCC) is a means of comparing design options on the basis of their whole life cost with the objective of providing value for money for the life of the asset. The process involves estimating all the cost elements of the particular subject and translating them into a cost at a particular point in time, the present, enabling comparison. Despite being in theory, a useful tool LCC appears to experience varied levels of usage. Varied opinions have been expressed about the level to which LCC is used but there is no doubt that private finance initiatives and public-private partnerships procurement routes have seen an increase in the use of the technique. The paper aims to appraise levels of application within the construction industry, in particular the paper will evaluate the existence of motivators and barriers which affect the decision to undertake LCC analysis in order to identify what actions can be taken to increase usage levels. Design/methodology/approach -Following a literature review, empirical research was undertaken to collect data from construction professionals regarding their views, opinions and experiences of LCC. In total, 100 questionnaires were sent to construction and professionals in the North West of England. Findings -The paper suggests that whilst just over 50 per cent of the sample implemented LCC the data also identified the lack of understanding of the technique and the absence of a standardised methodology as key limiting factors to wider implementation. Research limitations/implications -Limitations in both the data collection strategy and sample size raise the issue that the results obtained cannot necessarily be deemed to be representative of the construction industry as a whole but merely of the sample and further research is recommended. Originality/value -The paper concludes that continued professional development for construction professionals and clients alike together with the development of standardised procedures may enhance usage levels.

This paper sets out to analyse and interpret factors which bear upon building components and to explore underlying relationships among the number of building components forming a construction entity. The research hypothesis was set as follows: building surveyors do not agree in assessing the strength of each of design, construction, age, changing standards and vandalism as a causative factor for defects on building components. Previous studies have established the factors pertaining to defects in the building structure. What is in dispute is the extent to which these factors are important in causing defects. The objective of the study presented in this paper is therefore to assess the impact of each of five key factors -design, construction, standards, vandalism and age -on 28 selected building components with the aid of questionnaire information provided by 45 local authority building surveyors involved in the day-to-day diagnosis of defects in public housing stock. In so doing, the tangible influence of the factors in terms of how they affect defect causation in building components for the sample is established.

This paper seeks to explore and detect underlying relationships between identifiable attributes that are influential to successful outcomes of home maintenance activities. The study's approach is to identify, from the perspective of owner‐occupiers, the attributes that are influential on the successful outcomes of home maintenance activities. The study is primarily based on 186 questionnaire responses from a stratified random sample of owner‐occupiers taken from 12 local authority wards identified on the basis of a Ward Index of Multiple Deprivation. The intercorrelations among the attributes influential to the outcomes of home maintenance activities demanded the application of principal component analysis to determine the factors perceived to dictate home maintenance outcomes. This resulted in the extraction of nine significant factors, which combine to exert their influence on the quality of the maintenance activities in the owner‐occupied sector.

This paper seeks to explore and detect underlying relationships between identifiable primary causes of defects in local authority housing stock with the view to identifying which groups of building components are associated with one another. It is primarily based on responses to a questionnaire from building surveyors who were involved in the day-to-day diagnosis of defects of a large local authority housing stock. The intercorrelations among the primary defect-causing factors demanded the application of principal component analysis to determine the factors affecting deterioration of the building fabric. This resulted in the extraction of nine significant factors which combine to exert their influence on the building.

This paper sets out to develop a bridge for the existing gap in knowledge by exploring the characteristics of the tenants of some LA housing estates and how they affect maintenance need. Without the proper integration of information relating to property and the users of the dwelling, the phenomenon of housing maintenance need prediction will remain an intractable problem for housing managers. The paper therefore explores the hypothesis that dwellings within the same estate and having every conceivable architectural attribute in space and time in common will exhibit different maintenance need profiles as a result of differences in tenants’ characteristics.