Facilities and maintenance services for sustainable high-rise living

Abstract

Purpose It is essential to provide the necessary facilities in a building for human living. However, most unit owners of high-rise buildings do not realise the importance of good property management until their buildings and common facilities have deteriorated. It is thus important to ensure adequate maintenance is provided to create and sustain a healthy living environment for high-rise households. The purpose of this study is to measure and compare the perceptions and satisfactions of residents with the facilities and maintenance services provided in two different condominiums located next to each other. Design/methodology/approach Survey questionnaires were used, and the data were collected from 120 residents of each condominium which was developed by the same developer but completed at different times. Using the IBM SPSS Statistics software, cross tabulations, χ2 tests of independence and independent-samples t-tests were carried out for descriptive and inferential statistics. A simple post questionnaire survey was conducted to confirm the findings obtained from χ2 tests and t-tests. Findings The results show that residents’ perceptions of facilities and maintenance services provided are significantly higher for the newer condominium compared to the older one. Residents’ satisfactions with facilities are also higher for the newer condominium. However, poorer lift services and their maintenance have resulted in lower overall mean satisfaction with maintenance services for the newer condominium. Nevertheless, results from data collected in post questionnaire survey reveal that the respondents still prefer to live in the newer condominium despite higher rental rates. Research limitations/implications This paper reports only the data collected from samples of two condominiums in Kuala Lumpur. Practical implications There is a dearth of literature on residents’ perceptions and satisfactions towards facilities and maintenance services provided for high-rise residential living, particularly in Malaysia, where high-rise buildings are either managed by joint management body or management corporation depending on whether the strata titles have been issued. The findings can be used as benchmarks for property management purposes of condominiums. Originality/value This paper could be considered as the first in reporting residents’ perceptions and satisfactions with the facilities and maintenance services provided in residential high-rise buildings since the implementation of the Strata Management Act 2013, which was implemented to provide for proper maintenance and management of high-rise buildings and the common properties.

Does facility management affect perception of building quality?

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Collective action components of low-cost housing: an empirical analysis using Ostrom's SES framework

“…Before that three issues deserve special mention, however. The first set of questions centers on the outcome which take the form of direct feedback from parcel holders of low-cost flats, a measure of satisfaction on the upkeep of common properties (Tan, 2008(Tan, , 2012Sia et al, 2018). Second, resource system (RS) and resource units (RU) are combined together; they are the common properties of parcel holders that take the form of common corridors, lifts, lift lobbies, car-parks, landscape, rubbish-bin centers, community halls, common corridor lighting, etc.…”

Factors for Effective Repair and Maintenance Services in the Housing Industry

“…Unlike the free-standing house, these types of living areas come complete with facilities and amenities at the common areas (Musa, Sarip, Aziz, Hanif, Al-Sadat, and Tedong, 2015) such as parking areas, lighting, lifts, swimming pool, gym and other common facilities provided by the developer. With adequate management and maintenance, those facilities and amenities create and sustain a healthy living environment (Sia, Yew, Lim, and Dongqing, 2017). However, these types of housing are less satisfactory than other housing forms (Gifford, 2011) as they pose higher risks in older aged buildings than large, modern buildings.…”