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A notional appraisal of the bases of housing satisfaction

By: Aigbavboa C.1, Thwala W.1
1Department of Construction Management and Quantity Surveying, University of Johannesburg, Johannesburg, South Africa

Abstract

This article reviews previous literature on housing satisfaction, with the specific aim of identifying the factors that plays the dominant role in determining occupants housing satisfaction. This is because the notion of residential satisfaction has attracted much attention in recent years and that researchers and research bodies, be it corporate or government that try to develop housing policies should begin with an understanding of the determinants of housing satisfaction. The study is mainly an extant review of literature survey on the determinants of housing satisfaction. Findings from the study reveals that previous empirical studies have identified a number of important determinants of residential satisfaction, such as income, tenure, life cycle stages, house size, and housing quality amongst others. For example, being older, having higher income, having a smaller family have been related to more housing satisfaction. Overall, the study explores the causes of housing satisfaction; and presents a robust background on the determinants and theories of housing satisfaction and interpretations.