Assessing the impact of land use regulations on rental values of residential Properties in Kampala city case study: Makindye Division

Abstract

The study investigated the impact of land use regulations on rental values of residential properties in Kampala city. Makindye division as a case study area. land use regulations are measures used to enforce compliance and control the development of an area. These measures have been used in different Uganda to achieve a well-planned and habitable residential environment. Enforcement of these measures has tended to increase or decrease supply for such residential space due to the high costs incurred in trying to meet the land use regulations however this in turn has impacted on the rental values of residential properties. Thus, the objective of this study was to assess the impact of land use regulations on rental values of residential properties in Kampala city. Case study Makindye division. Data related to the subject matter of this research, residents, property developers and personnel responsible for enforcement of these policies were targeted and used for data gathering. A combination of both quantitative and qualitative methods was used in the collection of data where a number of individuals were approached. Data was collected using either questionnaires or interviews where a total number of 100 respondents took part in the research. Data collected was entered in the computer, and statistically analyzed using Microsoft excel software package. The research findings in chapter four reveal that a majority of the respondents are aware of the existence of land use regulations that included land policies such as the standard plot size for development, building control act (submitting plans to KCCA before development), physical planning act, public health act and NEMA act. It was also revealed that few of them follow the regulations as a result of poor implementation of the land use regulations, The result extends the debate that the impact of land use regulations could either be positively or negatively correlated to rental values. The study also revealed that partly land use regulations increase the cost of construction. This is because of the fees paid in trying to meet the requirements to get approval before any construction for example, architectural plan is expensive, and approving the topographic map has remained the reason as to why surveyors charge highly. This in the end is partly reflected within the costs of construction which in the end is reflected within the rental pricing so as to make higher returns on an investment.