Quality Inspection Challenges During Housing Construction in Gauteng, South Africa

The role of inspections in ensuring good quality housing delivery cannot be overemphasised. There is limited research on the challenges faced in the housing construction inspection process to ensure that homes delivered to customers are high quality. This study investigated these challenges and how to improve the inspection process and construction quality. Twelve inspectors from quality assurance entities in South Africa were interviewed using semi-structured questions. Thematic content analysis revealed challenges related to manual and electronic (using a gadget) on-site data recording processes. These included freezing the gadget, insufficient information on the building and the owner, inaccurate data capture, difficulty retrieving stored information, inaccessibility to drawings, risk of theft, and difficulty in promptly issuing non-compliance reports due to system malfunctions and battery runout. By identifying the challenges of inspecting houses during construction, policies and appropriate strategies can be developed to improve the inspection process and ultimately, the quality of housing delivery in South Africa.