Repair, maintenance and improvement: the impact of socio-political ideology on the maintenance of the built environment

Purpose – This research examines the implementation of repair, maintenance and improvement (RMI) works in privately rented property and the role of local authorities to deliver works in default to ensure the health and well-being of rental tenants. Prevailing socioeconomic ideology regarding the promotion of private enterprise at the expense of the public sector is examined in efforts to ascertain the impact this has on tenants and local authorities. Design/methodology/approach – A mixed philosophical approach incorporating interpretivism, critical realism and rationalism in conjunction with inductive reasoning is adopted for this research. The research utilises semi-structured interviews to ascertain the barriers to RMI implementation and the impact of poorly implemented RMI works on rental tenants. Interviews conducted were targeted at environmental health and trading standards professionals to garner their direct experiences and explore factors such as financial restrictions, availability of applicable expertise and the utilisation of contemporary building materials on properties not designed to incorporate them. Findings – Prevailing ideological orthodoxy (i.e. neoliberalism) in conjunction with “small-state” perspectives has engendered austerity in public sector finances. In turn, this reduces the ability of local authorities to safeguard the health and well-being of private rental tenants leading to serious health and well-being impacts. Emergent findings and theories developed represent a new avenue for addressing these prevailing issues impacting the UK’s existing housing stock. Originality/value – This novel research investigates dilapidation and degradation of existing buildings within the United Kingdom (UK), and subsequent RMI implementation to address these issues. An in-depth discussion presented culminates in the development of two original theories, namely, one describing an observed “triple lock” impacting government efforts to address the prevailing crisis, and the second espousing an alternative view of how the private rental sector should be considered.