Living in low income condominiums: end users’ perspectives

Abstract

The demand for low income condominiums in the city of Colombo has gradually increased in the past few decades in order to provide accommodation for low income earners and resettlement of shanty dwellers with the upsurge of land values in urban areas. Living in a condominium is considerably different from living in a sovereign house. In a condominium, personal ownership is limited to interior of the unit and requires sharing responsibilities with all the unit owners for the exterior of the complex. Identifying the issues in condominiums which have been designed for the low income community is essential to provide better living environment. Thus, it is vital to identify the satisfaction level of occupants who are settled in low income condominiums with respect to their living condition. Therefore, this study aims to fill the existing research gaps by investigating the existing living condition of condominiums which designed for low income families in terms of user satisfaction. First, a literature survey was carried out. This was followed by a comprehensive questionnaire survey as the data collection technique. Data were collected addressing the satisfaction on living condition under five main areas namely; social condition, facilities availability, management and maintenance of facilities, design and construction, and legal aspects. The results were analysed calculating the percentage values of each aspect. It was identified that 12% of occupants were only satisfied with the social condition in condominium living. In terms of satisfaction level on facilities availability, electricity, telecommunication and water received the highest percentage that is 65%, 62% and 57 % respectively. Moreover, the survey results show that occupants are dissatisfied with quality of construction work, maintenance and management aspects. Less awareness about the legal aspects was another issue among the occupants. Finally, this study suggested conducting post occupancy evaluation will provide stable and sustainable environment for future condominium developments.