Houses and Their Repair - an Economic Study

Abstract

Previous work on the maintenance of houses is reviewed chronologically with particular reference to expenditure. To verify the hypothesis that maintenance expenditures on local authority owned dwellings can be related to dwellings owned by a private landlord a detailed study of a sample of houses from both sectors is discussed. Particular attention is given to the comparability of the maintenance profile of the two sectors with regard to the pattern of incidence of defects, the average number of hours spent on each maintenance item, the cost of work related to each maintenance item, the cost of maintenance related to the type of house and to the age of the occupant, the complaint to completion time for each maintenance item and the seasonal variation in maintenance work. The lack of maintenance and its relationship to tenure groups is identified and two surveys used to reveal the relationship are discussed. The derivation of a house fitness index to carry out one of the surveys is also considered and the inbalance between rent income and maintenance expenditure is discussed. The factors affecting maintenance are identified and the influence of improvement grants studied. Recent legislation having intensified the need for close attention to maintenance it is proposed that the complaint to completion time for maintenance work is reduced and it is anticipated that yardstick controls will be introduced for maintenance expenditures. From these considerations it is recommended that maintenance departments should examine their maintenance profile and predict, plan and control the flow of maintenance work. Consideration is given to house design in relation to maintenance.