CHALLENGES OF HOUSING MAINTENANCE AND MANAGEMENT IN FEDERAL HOUSING ESTATE IN LAGOS (A CASE STUDY OF FEDERAL LOW COST HOUSING ESTATE (JAKANDE), IKORODU)
ABSTRACT
Shelter has been universally accepted as the second most important essential human need after food. Housing in all its ramifications is more than mere shelter since it embraces all the social services and utilities that go to make a community or neighbourhood liveable environment. Efficient housing design is becoming increasingly imperative in Nigerian urban centres; this is because housing is an essential and fundamental component of the overall land use activities in both rural and urban centres. Besides, it has a tremendous positive influence on the health, safety and welfare (economic and social) of residents of any community. A country where the per capital income is at its lowest point, a low-income environment explains the low take home pay, which does not permit savings. It follows that where the poor manages to feed and may be, cloth himself and members of his family, he may never be able to pay his rents or own a house of his own. The study is an attempt to uncover the various constraints and challenges of housing maintenance and management in federal housing estate in Lagos using federal low cost housing estate jakande ikorodu as a case study. Management of low cost housing estate, not only covers rent collection, repairs and maintenance but also other aspects of good management. The importance of management of low cost housing estate has become so technical that the knowledge and services of competent property managers are required to perform the task. The research adopted case study and serve research methods. The study was based on federal low cost housing estate. A total of 90 respondents who are occupying the property and 70 estate surveyors and valuers, were randomly selected. Only 120 out of the 160 participants responded, representing 80% of the distributed questionnaire. Being a survey design that tested the correctness of the observed frequency of responses, percentage distribution was initially used to describe the pattern of responses of the participants while non parametric binomial test statistics was used to test the statistical significance of the observation. Results of the study revealed that a significant number of the participants do not know what property management practices are and therefore it is not sought for or employed. Lack of fair rent to cover maintenance cost and non periodic rent to arrest the effect of galloping inflation in the economy poses a lot of problem for the property manager. This was seen by the fact that most participants supported the management federal low cost housing estate. The research concluded that property management is as important as property development as the lack of it eventually diminishes the national housing stock, apart from constituting a waste of scare economic resources.
1.1 CHAPTER ONE
INTRODUCTION
Shelter has been universally accepted as the second most important essential human need after food. Housing in all its ramifications is more than mere shelter since it embraces all the social services and utilities that go to make a community or neighborhood live able environment. Efficient housing design is becoming increasingly imperative in Nigerian urban centers; this is because housing is an essential and fundamental component of the overall land use activities in both rural and urban centers. Besides it has a tremendous positive influence on the health, safety and welfare (economic and social) of residents of any community. Residential land use is the largest single land use in any community and a larger proportion of land is usually devoted to it. However, the desire to own houses has eluded the bulk of the Nigerian population in the urban centers. This can be attributed to a number of reasons like poor economic situation in the country, rising cost of building materials, explosive increase in urban population and absence of effective housing policy.
Landed property ownership is regarded as a great success and achievement; and this mentality has great influence on landed property itself. After the construction of buildings, most property owners tend not to care for it again as all that matters to them is that they have a property which they can call their own. This is because most Nigerians lack maintenance culture. However, the effective management of properties is very important, due to its nature and the capital involved in its construction. Properly managed properties will not only maximize the income realized from the property where the property is built for investment purpose, but will also ensure that the property is in a good physical and structural state for it to continue performing the purpose for which it was built.
Most people dwell in buildings in places of work as well as domestic life, and made things or sold things from their own homes. Most buildings were not divided into discrete functions on a room basis, and most neighborhoods contained a diversity of uses, even if some districts developed a predominance of certain uses such as metal workers, textiles or footwear due to socio-economic benefits of propinquity. People lived at very high densities because the amount of space required for daily living and movement between different activities was determined by workability and the scale of human body. This was particularly true in cities, and the ground floor of buildings was often devoted to some sort of commercial or productive use, with living space upstairs.
Though the countries of the world differ greatly in their levels of industrial and social development and the nature of their economic and political systems, the importance of housing and its related facilities as vital elements in determining the standard of living and as integral parts of the development process and the need for the government to take a major share of responsibility for improving the level at which they are provided and generally recognized.
Management of Federal low cost housing estate, not only covers rent collection, repairs but also other aspects of good management, such as facility management, property management and maintenance services.
The importance of management of properties has become so technical that the knowledge and services of competent property managers are required to perform the task for instance. There is need to meet the expectations of the various classes of tenants properties. Most often the needs of different classes of tenants properties at variance or in direct opposition in extreme cases.
The failure of the property manager to achieve a harmonious balance of the accommodation needs of all types of tenants properties works against realization of investment objectives.
In view of the above, the property manager occupies a prominent position in the direction, coordination and supervision of management functions, to keep, restore and improve the value of the property being managed.
1.2 STATEMENT OF THE PROBLEM
Federal low-cost housing estate ikorodu imposes a lot of problems in its management. There is great struggle to meet up with the investments objectives, the cost of preserving the building and satisfying the tenants occupying the property.
The problem of this study therefore is to examine the problems encountered in the management of this class of property and proffer possible solutions to the problem.
1.4 RESEARCH QUESTIONS
To achieve the aim and objectives of the study, the following questions were put forward;
The research questions are
1. What are the conditions of federal low cost housing estate ikorodu?
2. What are the problems associated with low cost housing estate ikorodu?
3 What are solutions to be identified in the management of federal low cost housing estate ikorodu?
4. What are the relationships between property management problems accommodation voids and tenant congestion in federal low cost housing estate ikorodu?
5. What are the strategies adopted in the management problems in federal low cost housing estate ikorodu?
1.3 AIM OF THE STUDY
The aim of the study is to examine property management practices used in achieving harmonious balance among the conflicting tenant needs in federal low cost housing estate ikorodu for optimal rental income flows
The specific objectives are:
1. To examine the conditions of federal low cost housing estate ikorodu
2. To identify the property management problems associated with federal low cost housing estate ikorodu.
3. To proffer solution to the identified problems in the study area
4. To assess the relationships between property management problems, accommodation voids and tenant congestion in federal low cost housing estate ikorodu
5. To ascertain the property management strategies adopted in solving management problems in federal low cost housing estate in ikorodu.
1.5 HYPOTHESIS OF THE STUDY
To arrive at veritable finding and conclusions, the following hypotheses were formulated:
Ho: There is no significant relationship between property management problems, accommodation voids and tenant conflicts in federal low cost housing estate ikorodu Lagos
1.6 SIGNIFICANCE OF THE STUDY
This work will be carried out with the aim that its outcome will be of great value to several interest groups; the academia, investors and government at all levels.
For the academics, the literature review, findings and recommendations will enrich the scanty literature of this topic and also serve as further researchers in the study area. This study will also benefit the occupiers and property managers on how to carry routine management practices in the study area.
It will equally benefit the investors; hence the research will provide a good insight into the viability of other property investments in Lagos metropolis
1.7 SCOPE OF THE STUDY
This study on management problem in federal low cost housing estate ikorodu is focused on large acres of land.
The decision to focus on federal low cost housing estate on large acres of land is based on accommodation users, classes and typologies; each with their peculiar occupancy needs. There are various purposes in which properties are been used for example shops, offices, markets, financial markets, banks etc.
1.8 STUDY AREA.
Federal low cost housing estate is located in Ikorodu area of Lagos state. The low cost housing estate is owned by federal government which was built for civil servant. It’s an affordable housing for medium and low income earners.
The federal low cost housing estate is confronted with lots of management problem such as maintenance, repairs, renovation and painting.
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