Leaky building stigma: Can it be eliminated by remediation? Evidence from New Zealand

Abstract

Purpose

This paper aims to investigate the stigma effect on property valuation/sale price for remediated residential leaky buildings constructed in New Zealand during the 1990s and 2000s. In particular, the authors want to know whether meeting the regulatory standards for remediation work will totally eliminate the negative stigma effect on remediated properties.

Design/methodology/approach

Property transaction data for remediated leaky homes are often limited and not well recorded. Thus, it is very difficult or even impossible to identify those remediated properties in a standard property transaction data set. Moreover, a vast amount of information regarding the nature of property defects, remediation process and method is very difficult to obtain. In this study, members of the Property Institute of New Zealand (PINZ) and the Real Estate Institute of New Zealand were invited to participate in an online website survey. The results were then analysed using the principal component analysis, ordinary least squares and multinomial logit regressions.

Findings

This study indicates that for monolithic-clad dwellings, the price discount due to leaky building stigma is significant. Depending on the severity of the leaking problems, this is about 11 per cent on average for general market stigma and an additional 5-10 per cent for post-remediation stigma. The results highlight that meeting the regulatory standards for remediation work cannot totally eliminate the negative stigma effect on remediated properties. The findings are in line with the lemon theory introduced by Akerlof (1970) and robust to individual characteristics of the survey respondent.

Originality/value

General market stigma has been widely researched and documented in the literature. In contrast, there is a lack of research as to whether remediation will eliminate stigma, particularly in the presence of general market stigma. The authors are the first to show that post-remediation stigma can cause value loss in addition to general market stigma based on the lemon theory proposed by Akerlof (1970).

Citation

Shi, S., McCarthy, I. and Mai, U. (2017), "Leaky building stigma: Can it be eliminated by remediation? Evidence from New Zealand", International Journal of Housing Markets and Analysis, Vol. 10 No. 3, pp. 328-351. https://doi.org/10.1108/IJHMA-06-2016-0043