Improvement‐led home maintenance strategies and quality expectations

Abstract

PurposeThis paper seeks to explore the satisfaction rating associated with the repair and maintenance of 34 most occurring house defects remedied by owner‐occupiers selected from a stratified random sample.Design/methodology/approachThe study targeted over 1,200 owner‐occupiers from 12 local authority wards; these were identified on the basis of the Ward Index of Multiple Deprivation. The sample also included some neighbourhoods recently designated for improvement under the Urban Renewal's Single Regeneration Budget initiative within the Northwest of England.FindingsThrough the use of nonparametric statistical techniques, the paper argues that owner‐occupiers' expectation of the quality of maintenance works is a derivative dichotomy of unrelated decision constructs: on the one hand is the prior knowledge of the severity of house defects which, in turn, impacts on the follow‐on repair strategies and maintenance quality expectations. On the other hand are the projected improvements as perceived in terms of the added value to a dwelling vis‐à‐vis the principal methods of remediation enshrined within the broader renewal initiatives.Originality/valueOverall, the results suggest that expectations on maintenance quality ought to be defined as owner‐occupiers' perception of desired standard of work relative to the projected market value of their property. The study further concludes that, when all the notable variations in the satisfaction rating on follow‐on maintenance strategies and expectations are considered together, it is the perceived increase in the value of a property – following improvement works under the urban renewal programme – that stands out as the main influencing criterion.

How Does Communication Influence the Perceived Performance of Maintenance Services in Multi-Storey Public Housing?

“…Hills and Worthing (2006) and Yau (2011a) assert that skilled-knowledge about maintenance and repair work would foster confidence in the residents and subsequently motivate the residents to undertake preventive maintenance themselves. In line with this idea, frequent undertaking of preventive maintenance through day-to-day activities such as cleaning, clearing gutters, painting or fixing minor repairs would prolong the life of building elements (Hills, Worthing 2006;Kangwa, Olubodun 2007). In short, we postulate that the accuracy of information received by the residents would significantly influence the performance of the maintenance services.…”

“…The other 57.7% of the total remains unexplained. In addition to communication, other factors such as the residents' living condition, the residents' level of affordability, the residents' knowledge about defects, the residents' expectations, and the regulations and standards of maintenance work have been highlighted by previous studies as factors that influence maintenance service performance (Zavadskas, Vilutienė 2006;El-Haram, Horner 2002;Kangwa, Olubodun 2007). Studies that consider these factors will deepen our knowledge of what influences maintenance service performance.…”

“…They proposed that measurements should be based on customer perception to overcome weaknesses and provide opportunities for improvement in the service delivery. A study by Kangwa and Olubodun (2007) in Northwest England also focused on the recipients of the service, the residents, and found that they are dissatisfied with the quality of maintenance work. This finding correlates with the residents' previous knowledge about defects and, subsequently, their high expectation of maintenance outcome.…”

“…Resources that the maintenance service providers have are also important. Kangwa and Olubodun (2007) stressed that capability and availability of the equipment and materials related to maintenance work, including the work price relative to current and standard rates and work compliance to health and safety requirements, can boost the performance of maintenance services carried out by the maintenance professionals.…”