Impacts of leaky homes and leaky building stigma on older homeowners

Abstract This paper employs mixed methods combining in-depth, semi-structured interviews with quantitative data of paired house sales, administrative data and institutional analysis to investigate the impacts of leaky building syndrome and its potential stigmatising effects on older homeowners in New Zealand. Older homeowners are particularly vulnerable to the negative effects of a leaky home. Adverse impacts were identified on the use value and financial value of older people’s homes, retirement planning, physical and mental health, relationships and social connections. Some face an uncertain housing future and their ability to downsize is compromised. Complex and confusing information and processes around dispute resolution and remediation do not support a positive outcome. This exploratory study raises issues for further research, both in relation to older homeowners and ongoing challenges in addressing weathertightness problems due to non-remediation and remediation failure. This paper is the first to report research on older leaky homeowners’ experiences, issues and impacts. The focus is unique in that it covers not only the experience of owning a leaky home, but also the implications of leaky home stigma for older people’s ability to optimise their housing choices.