Physical Conditions Of Buildings As Predictor Of Housing Quality In Imo State Housing Corporation Estates In Owerri, Nigeria

Abstract

The condition of housing has been identified as a vital determining factor for the habitability of buildings as it indicates the level of residents' well-being and safety. Also, poor quality housing has been noted as being not only hazardous to their occupants' health and welfare but also a limiting agent to their output and productivity. As such, this study investigated the effects of housing conditions on housing quality in Imo State Housing Corporation (IMSHC) estates in Owerri Capital Territory, Imo State Nigeria, with the view to providing feedback criteria for improved housing quality in the study area. The specific objective was to investigate the effect of the physical conditions of building units on housing quality in the IMSHC estates. A survey design method was applied with a focus on five IMSHC estates. These were randomly selected from the research population following a stratification based on housing type. Three hundred and five occupied housing units were randomly sampled from the selected estates. Data was collected from these using questionnaires. Several variables ('state of floor finish', 'state of repair of external walls' and 'state of repair of the roof’) were combined to create a composite variable: ‘Physical conditions of building units. Similarly, the variables, ‘Protection against insects and pests’, ‘Natural ventilation in the sitting room and bedrooms,’ ‘Natural lighting in the sitting room and bedrooms’, ‘Good toilet and bathroom facilities’, ‘Waste disposal facilities’, ‘External lighting in the estate’, ‘Adequacy of road network within the estate’ were also combined to obtain the variable 'Housing quality'. Because both composite variables were interval variables, the Pearson Product Moment correlation tool was used to test the significance of their relationship. It was established that there is a significant relationship between the physical conditions of building units and the housing quality in the study area. It is recommended that the IMSHC should make the maintenance of good physical conditions of the building units a priority to achieve good housing quality. IMSHC whose duty is to maintain the housing estates should ensure that they sustain good conditions of the building units. This can be achieved in collaboration with the residents of the estates, to preserve the visual appeal of the estates and wellbeing of the residents.