Examining the effect of building material cost on the value of residential properties. Case study: Nansana Municipality.

Abstract

The purpose of the study was to examine the effect of building material cost on the value of residential properties in Nansana Municipality. Building materials being the biggest components of a residential property highly affect the amount invested by real estate developers into residential properties. The study sought to showcase this effect by showing how rental values of residential properties are affected by the increase in the prices of building materials. The study also showed that factors like; fluctuation in prices of raw materials, local taxes charged, high labor and transportation costs are responsible for the increase in prices of building materials. Due to those factors, the prices of building materials have been increasing over time consequently leading to an increase in prices of newly developed residential properties. The target population of the study was 15hardwares in Nansana Municipality as of January 2022, and 100 Rental Housing Participants like Landlords, Property developers, tenants, and local authorities were analyzed to solve the research problem. Data for the purpose of the study was collected using questionnaires for the hardware that have been operating in Nansana for at least the past five years and they were answered by the sales managers. Interview guides were also used for the households (tenants, brokers, and landlords) who have lived in Nansana for the past 5years. Based on the findings from the study, it was understood that fluctuation in the cost of residential properties is a huge influence caused by an increase in the cost of building materials. Affordable housing in Nansana and in Uganda can be provided through the use of locally provided materials like timber and the improvement of government policies. From the respondents’ view, the researcher put up some of the recommendations to ensure that affordable housing is attained using affordable building materials. Government should also take drastic steps to reduce the cost of production and transportation of goods by ensuring an adequate supply from the power sector and production of petroleum products through the local refineries as against dependency on importation. Developers should also adopt techniques like incremental construction to ensure that they make one construction at a time till completion.