The repair of flood-damaged property: a critical review of the needs of homeowners

One of the primary reasons why firms fail to meet their customers' needs and expectations is due to their lack of awareness of exactly what those needs and expectations are, i.e. there is a gap between company perceptions of customer expectations and what customers actually expect. With five million people, in two million properties estimated to be living in flood risk areas in England and Wales, flooding and flood damage to property are somewhat inevitable. In fact, the increased frequency of flooding and the growing number of properties being constructed on floodplains suggest that these statistics are set to worsen in future. However, there is inadequate understanding of domestic property occupiers’ needs regarding flood damage reinstatement. Therefore, as part of a wider investigation, a review of those needs and concomitant issues is presented. The severity of the impact of a particular flood event on a household is influenced, in part, by factors that can be classified into two main categories: flood characteristics and the individual household characteristics. An initial assessment classifies homeowners’ needs as: time, utilitarian needs, relations and communication, health and safety, commitment and flexibility, economy and aesthetics. In order for insurers and repairers to offer services that will satisfy their clients, sound knowledge and consideration of the needs and expectations of homeowners is vital

Satisfaction issues in the reinstatement of flood damaged domestic property

The frequency of flooding is forecast to increase in the UK, as is the number of properties at risk of flooding. Following major floods in England and Wales in recent years, questions have been raised concerning the quality of service received by insured homeowners during the repair of their properties. At present there is little existing research that evaluates homeowners' perceptions and their levels of satisfaction with respect to the performance of their insurers, repair and restoration companies and loss adjusters during flood damage reinstatement claims. As part of a wider investigation, a review is presented of issues relating to satisfaction and service quality. A proposed approach is put forward for measuring satisfaction of insured homeowners in flood claims. Knowledge of the determinants of insured homeowners' satisfaction in flood damage repair works would be beneficial to all stakeholders involved in the claim chain and should lead to an improved service for homeowners

Exploring the experience of insured UK homeowners in flood disasters

The frequency of flooding and the number of properties at risk of flooding in the UK are forecast to increase. Costs associated with flooding are usually significant and include for the provision of adequate flood defences, emergency services as well as for the repair of flood-damaged property. Although floods are known for their devastating effects often manifested in visible physical damage to property, the ‘human side’ of the impact of floods is often overlooked. At present there is a dearth of research with regards to the experience of homeowners following flood damage to their property. Findings of exploratory in-depth interviews with homeowners who have recently experienced a flood event to their insured property are presented and classified into five dimensions, namely: economic aspects, emotional aspects, service-related aspects, social aspects and physical characteristics. It is argued that a greater understanding of the ‘human side’ of flood disasters would be beneficial to all stakeholders involved in the damage management supply chain and should lead to improved services for insured flood victims thereby minimising the impact of flooding events on households

An Investigation into Factors Influencing Construction Costs Based on Japanese, UK and US Contractor Practice

Construction cost is a major concern to both clients and contractors. Based on a hypotheticalconstruction project (a six-storey concrete framed office building), cost and otherrelated information was collected through a survey of contractors in Japan, the UK and theUS. Using multiple regression analysis it was found that lower overheads, less prefabricatedcomponents, and fewer design variations could reduce construction cost. Overheadslargely represent indirect costs to contractors and if reduced can lead to increased profitlevels and improved competitiveness. The use of prefabricated components may be problematicwhere there are delays in production, insufficient coordination between design andconstruction, and congested transportation on site. Design variations during constructionbring about uncertainties and are disruptive to the construction process. These factorshave paramount impact on construction cost and demand close attention and consideration.Contractors are advised to reduce the costs of their overheads and utilise prefabricationappropriately, while clients and designers should minimise the number of designvariations during construction if better cost performance is desired

Modelling Client Satisfaction Levels: The Impact of Contractor Performance

The performance of contractors is known to be a key determinant of client satisfaction.Here, using factor analysis, clients’ satisfaction is defined in several dimensions. Based onclients’ assessment of contractor performance, a number of satisfaction models developedusing the multiple regression (MR) technique are presented. The models identify arange of variables encompassing contractor performance, project performance and respondent(i.e. client) attributes as useful predictors of satisfaction levels. Contractor performanceattributes were found to be of utmost importance indicating that clientsatisfaction levels are mainly dependent on the performance of the contractor. Furthermore,findings suggest that subjectivity is to some extent prevalent in clients’ performanceassessment. The models demonstrate accurate and reliable predictive power as confirmedby validation tests. Contractors could use the models to help improve their performanceleading to more satisfied clients. This would also promote the development ofharmonious working relationships within the construction project coalition

Assessing Community Resilience to Urban Flooding in Multiple Types of the Transient Population in China

While various measures of mitigation and adaptation to climate change have been taken in recent years, many have gradually reached a consensus that building community resilience is of great significance when responding to climate change, especially urban flooding. There has been a dearth of research on community resilience to urban floods, especially among transient communities, and therefore there is a need to conduct further empirical studies to improve our understanding, and to identify appropriate interventions. Thus, this work combines two existing resilience assessment frameworks to address these issues in three different types of transient community, namely an urban village, commercial housing, and apartments, all located in Wuhan, China. An analytic hierarchy process–back propagation neural network (AHP-BP) model was developed to estimate the community resilience within these three transient communities. The effects of changes in the prioritization of key resilience indicators under different environmental, economic, and social factors was analyzed across the three communities. The results demonstrate that the ranking of the indicators reflects the connection between disaster resilience and the evaluation units of diverse transient communities. These aspects show the differences in the disaster resilience of different types of transient communities. The proposed method can help decision makers in identifying the areas that are lagging behind, and those that need to be prioritized when allocating limited and/or stretched resources

Investigating SME resilience and the adaptive capacity to extreme weather events: literature review and synthesis

In the UK, extreme weather events (EWEs) such as floods, heat waves and storms are increasing in frequency and severity. The ability of local communities to cope with the immediate impact and recover from the aftermath is critical to the continued well-being of the community that is affected. As part of Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC) funded projects we investigate how Small and medium-scale Enterprises (SMEs), prepare themselves for the effects of EWEs. SMEs constitute a substantial proportion of the community that is affected as a result of these events. They need to prepare themselves for the effects of EWEs in a way that minimises disruption to them and allows them to return to near normal working conditions as soon as possible after an event. Very few studies have examined how SMEs respond to EWEs. Policy makers and theorists in this field have proposed various models and frameworks to improve the adaptive capacities of SMEs by concentrating on identification of risks and opportunities coupled with strategy development and implementation. Their individual and collective attitudes influence the activities that SMEs perform towards preparation of disaster preparedness plans and post disaster recovery measures. The paper argues that this continuous process of engaging SMEs will develop their adaptive capacities and enhance their coping measures in facing up to the risk of extreme weather events. The paper provides a literature review and a synthesis and a methodological vehicle to guide this research

The impact of flooding on the price of residential property: A transactional analysis of the UK market

The increase in frequency and severity of flood events in the UK has highlighted the question of the impact of flooding on the value of property. Previous studies in the UK and internationally have measured a wide variety of impacts from no impact to discounts of more than 40 per cent of property price. Transactional measurements have not previously been attempted in the UK property market due to lack of available data. In order to improve the available evidence base, a variation of the repeat sales methodology has been used to measure the impact of flooding on the price of transacted residential property for 13 locations in the UK. The results reveal the impact of flood events to be highly variable and temporary and no effect of flood designation. The policy implications of these findings with regard to the perceptions and behaviours of property stakeholders are explored. © 2010 Taylor & Francis

Adaptation to flood risk:the case of businesses in the UK

Despite Government investment in flood defence schemes, many properties remain at high risk of flooding. A substantial portion of these properties are business establishments. Flooding can create serious consequences for businesses, including damage to property and stocks, being out of business for a considerable period and ultimately business failure. Recent flood events such as those in 2007 and 2009 that affected many parts of the UK have helped to establish the true costs of flooding to businesses. This greater understanding of the risks to businesses has heightened the need for business owners to adapt their businesses to the threat of future flooding. Government policy has now shifted away from investment in engineered flood defences, towards encouraging the uptake of property level flood resistance and resilience measures by businesses. However, implementing such adaptation strategies remains a challenge due a range of reasons. A review of the current state of property level flood risk adaptation of UK businesses is presented, drawing from extant literature. Barriers that may hinder the uptake of property level adaptation by businesses are revealed and drivers that may enhance uptake and effectively overcome these barriers are also discussed. It is concluded that the professions from the construction sector have the potential to contribute towards the adaptation of business properties and thereby the flood resilience of businesses at risk of flooding

Supporting the uptake of low cost resilience: FD2682 rapid evidence assessment final report

As part of the Defra policy objective to help individuals take more ownership for management of their flood risk a Rapid Evidence Assessment (REA) around low cost resilience approaches to preventing damage once water is allowed into properties has been undertaken The aim of the REA was to collate the evidence of the existence and efficacy of low cost approaches and explore how they can be best implemented by property owners and occupier