CHAPTER 2

LITERATURE REVIEW

2.1 Introduction

Lift maintenance is crucial in these tall buildings to ensure the safety and
convenience of residents. Working lifts are essential for people living on higher floors
or with mobility challenges to move around easily. Well-maintained lifts create a
positive living environment, making residents happier and more satisfied. PPR Intan
Baiduri is a complex of low-cost flats that represents the challenges faced in
maintaining lifts for residents in similar settings. It's important for housing authorities,
facility management teams, and policymakers to understand what factors affect
resident satisfaction with lift maintenance.

For this research topic, the study is regarding resident satisfaction toward lift
maintenance, PPR Intan Baiduri. These chapters, the sources of references are
secondary sources and most of the citation is article journals and websites which are
related to the research topic carried by the researchers. Introduction part will give an
insight into the literature review is all about and the contents included in the literature
review of this research. Then, the literature review is continued with the definition of
terms. Definition of terms is really important as it will give the real explanation of the
terms that are being used in this research. Definition of terms will explain the terms;
unsold, overhang, unsold under construction property, unsold not constructed
property.
2.2 Definition of Term

2.2.1 Low Cost Housing

The Malaysian government is always committed to housing

development programs, including low-cost house construction projects. The
demand for low-cost houses is closely related to the increase in the
population and low-income groups (Hashim et al., 2012). Low-cost housing
was officially introduced in the First Malaysia Plan (1966-1970) "to promote
the welfare of the lower income population" (Economic Planning Unit, 1965)

In addition to the government, private developers also build low-cost

houses as one of their social responsibilities in addition to government policy
that sets a quota of 30 percent of low-cost houses must be built by private
developers in the housing projects they develop.. However, Several issues
were also recognized related to low cost housing based on Kuala Lumpur
Structure Plan 2020 which includes low space standards, under the provision
of community facilities, high maintenance costs and poor quality of
construction and materials in low cost housing projects (Wahi et al., 2018)

2.2.2 Low cost flat in Malaysia

Malaysia still needs high range low-income houses (LIH) in which the
demand is currently increasing. Malaysia’s planners have to rearrange LIH
programs in their new plans (Bakh et al., 2013).
2.2.3 Resident Satisfaction

It is relevant to study how homeowners think of their housing and neighborhood and
how it affects their lives. Therefore, measuring residential satisfaction has become an
important indicator of an evaluative measure for judging the success of residential
developments constructed by housing developers (Diaz-Serrano, 2009; Tan, 2014). It
has been said that residential satisfaction is an essential indicator of homeowners’
view toward the general quality of life (Adriaanse, 2007). Residential satisfaction can
mean that an individual’s expectation of the dwelling is met and that the dwellers are
comfortable with the amenities, neighbors and surroundings of the estate (Lu, 1999;
Dekker et al., 2011). There are two main perspectives to conceptualize residential
satisfaction. One of the approaches is known as the purposive approach, which
measures user’s satisfaction to a degree in which the environment facilitates the
purpose of the user (Amole, 2009; Canter and Rees, 1982). For instance, a dweller
may live in a gated home with the objective of wanting to live in a safer environment
and for its clubhouse facilities; and if these objectives are met, it could contribute to a
higher residential satisfaction. The second approach to conceptualize residential
satisfaction is the aspiration-gap approach. This approach indicates that households
will cognitively set conditions of the housing and neighborhood features that they
desire and if the actual conditions meet the desired needs and aspiration of the
household, then the likelihood of a positive residential satisfaction level can be
expected (Amerigo and Aragones, 1997; Galster, 1987). In essence, the aspiration-
gap approach uses the comparison between an individual’s actual and desired
housing and neighborhood situations to define residential satisfaction.
The provision of satisfactory residential housing has always been the goal of every
housing developer. According to Ross et al. (2012), residential satisfaction matters,
as it improves residents’ overall quality of life. Following this, Ibem & Aduwo (2013)
suggested that the occupants’ expectations which influence residential satisfaction or
dissatisfaction need to be explored in order to improve the quality of housing.
Residential satisfaction, as defined by Abdul Mohit et al. (2010), is the feeling of
contentment when one has or achieves what one needs or desires in a house.
Existing research demonstrates dwelling types, sizes, physical features, external
appearance, ownership, neighbourhood environment, location, and management of
housing units as factors related to residents’ feeling of satisfaction (Abdul Mohit &
Azim, 2012; Jiboye, 2012; Zhonghua & Xuejun, 2015).

In addition to these factors, housing support services including lift systems has also
become one of the most widely indicators to measure the performance of a building
and consequently influence housing satisfaction. This is demonstrated in research
done by Abdul Mohit et al. (2010) where residential satisfaction posits high positive
correlations with the services. As supported by Tan (2012), housing services support
the daily life of the residents and thus contributing to housing satisfaction among
households. Although focused on neighbourhood factors in low-cost housing in
Penang and Terengganu, Salleh’s (2008) study also found that residents were highly
dissatisfied with the services provided by the developers. Accordingly, the researcher
suggests that the indicators which affect resident satisfaction should be treated as
essential inputs in guiding future housing policy in Malaysia.

User satisfaction should also be an important aim of maintenance management as it

measures performance of building service system and facilities. For instance, overall
household satisfaction may indicate a successful implementation of the lift system
(Au-Yong et. al., 2014). Besides leading to positive feedback, user satisfaction will
also ultimately result in both trust in and profit for to the business (Nik-Mat et al.,
2011).
2.3 Maintenance of lift in Low cost housing

Building maintenance plan is necessary to maintain and keep the building

operating at a satisfactory level (Olanrewaju et al., 2021). Despite this, there are
several maintenance plan issues for low-cost residential in Malaysia’s urban areas
that need serious attention to prevent further decay and deterioration and may have
resulted in design flaws that lower building performance (Wan Sumayyah et al.,
2018). This might be impacted by low-quality building practices and materials used in
affordable low-rise residential (Ahmad Ezanee et al., 2015; Olanrewaju et al., 2021).
By assessing the state of Malaysia’s low-cost residential that requires maintenance, it
is possible to state that Malaysian maintenance management is on high alert due to
improper building maintenance procedures, which will adversely affect the building’s
environment and amenities (Wan Sumayyah et al., 2018). Some parties, such as
stakeholders and building users, may overlook the significance of maintenance plans
and cost issues for low-cost residential in Malaysia’s urban areas. This situation may
then result in unplanned maintenance work for low-cost residential only performed
when a breakdown occurs and a replacement is required, increasing the
maintenance cost to perform the work due to the building’s age and condition
(Ahmad Ezanee et al., 2015; Olanrewaju et al., 2021). However, according to
Olenrewaju and Abdul Aziz (2015), a well-planned maintenance plan and procedure
will become safeguard of structure’s sustainability by extending the useful lives of its
services and facilities and lowering the cost of failure. As a result, higher building
user satisfaction can be achieved through effective maintenance plans, regular
inspections and maintenance work (Olanrewaju and Abdul Aziz, 2015; Wan
Sumayyah et al., 2018).

In previous research on building maintainability, elevator systems were

investigated; however, the focus was only on commercial buildings. Moreover,
multiple studies on building maintainability have been conducted for a number of
building types, but few have attempted to investigate elevators (Hashim et al., 2012).
2.4 Issue in Maintenance of Lift in Low Cost Housing

The lift is a major transportation system in a high-rise building that requires stringent safety
requirements. The system failure or breakdown can cause economic loss, user
dissatisfaction and serious danger to health and safety (Park & Yang, 2010). According to
Alshehri et al. (2015), one of the common problems facing the maintenance of the system is
the limited budget allocated for the repair works. Research by Iwarere & Lawal (2011) also
revealed financial problems as a problem that hinders implementation of maintenance
works. Similarly, maintenance activities in Malaysia are most likely to be budget driven
(Olanrewaju et al., 2012). The current economic challenges facing the country have forced
maintenance teams to tighten the budget to only critical maintenance work, while uncritical
work may be neglected. To make matters worse, most building occupants refuse to pay
maintenance fees, due to either their busy schedule or dissatisfaction with building
conditions (Ali & Chua, 2011). Without sufficient maintenance funds, buildings cannot be
maintained and function to the required standards. As highlighted by Olanrewaju & Abdul
Aziz (2012), these issues are critical to users, since the overall purpose of maintenance
management system usually entails how a building can efficiently enable the occupants to
live with minimum disruptions and disturbances and at the same time increase the provider’s
productivity.

This is further exacerbated by the sophisticated and high-tech equipment frequently used as
part of such systems (Arifin et al., 2011, Heming et al., 2011). Increase in complexities and
advance in technology means that most of the spare parts are not readily available in local
market and need to be imported (Laila, 2015). This will lead to delay and involve high cost to
replace the damaged parts. Without sufficient budgets, it is impossible to carry out proper
repair work, forcing the client to deal with the problem using cheaper and inferior
replacement parts. More often than not, a substantial portion of the maintenance budget will
be spent again on repairing the system caused by poor quality materials (De Silva et al.,
2012).
In addition to a lack of high-quality spare parts, Malaysia also encountered the problem of
poor workmanship of maintenance workers (Ali et al., 2016). Most of the contractors tend to
hire foreign workers who are usually willing to accept lower wage. Low or even unskilled
foreign workers, however, do not really understand the maintenance tasks at first and need
more time to develop their skills and expertise. As argued by Alshehri et al. (2015), this will
lead to time consuming and most likely failed maintenance. Arifin et al. (2011) further argued
that it is not easy for someone to achieve the levels of a competent worker, as they have to
go through the entire work process constantly. Therefore, there is a need to conduct training
courses to ensure that not only the workers but also the professionals in the management
team have the knowledge and skills to be able to conduct maintenance work effectively.

Vandalism is another problematic issue in building maintenance (Laila, 2015). As reported in

the Sun Daily (2014), vandalism is the main reason for the frequent breakdown of lifts,
especially in low-cost residential housing. According to Arifin et al. (2011) and Suffian
(2013), maintenance culture in Malaysia is still at a very low level and people do not have
the awareness to maintain their buildings. The public needs to be educated on the
importance of maintaining their lifts since the maintenance is very costly. Lifts are one of the
most expensive pieces of equipment that a building owner can have and therefore require
periodic maintenance to ensure that they are performing as originally expected (Laughman,
2012). For Alshehri et al. (2015), the absence of uniform maintenance standards for
maintenance activities results in poor performance of the system. As supported by Yahya &
Ibrahim (2011), a standard building maintenance policy does

not yet exist and there is thus a need for legal enforcement to ensure quality, safety, and
good service to the end users.
2.5 Satisfaction of Resident Toward Lift Maintenance

2.6 Factor Influencing Satisfaction of Resident Toward Lift Maintenance

2.7 Summary of Past Research

Authors Building location Satisfaction comparison

type factors of lift
maintenance
2.8 Conceptual Framework on lift satisfaction

The property market has been considered as the most imperfection market because each
property has different characteristics, lacking of latest information, number of buyers and
sellers who are not permanent and certain parties are capable to influence the prices of
certain properties on the market (Zainal Abidin Hashim 2010a). The characteristics can be
observed in 2015, the housing market is still struggling to balance between supply and
demand. According to Rosadah & Salleh (2004), the housing market is diffi cult to balance
supply and demand for housing due to its cost. It is also infl uenced by other factors such as
economic, social, political, legal and technological change. Figure 2 shows ‘conceptual
framework’ that discusses the concept of home ownership and livability. The framework
focuses on the study of economic theory and the theory of consumer behavior to observe
simplicity of livability.
Bakh, B., Zaharim, A., Sopian, K. Bin, & Moghimi, S. (2013). Housing for Poor People : A
Review on Low Cost Housing Process in Malaysia Housing for Poor People : A Review
on Low Cost Housing Process in Malaysia. April.

Economic Planning Unit. (1965). Malaysian Economic Develovment Position, Problems and
Plans (pp. 1–17). https://www.ekonomi.gov.my/sites/default/files/2020-03/chapt2.pdf

Hashim, A. E., Samikon, S. A., Nasir, N. M., & Ismail, N. (2012). Assessing Factors
Influencing Performance of Malaysian Low-Cost Public Housing in Sustainable
Environment. Procedia - Social and Behavioral Sciences, 50(July), 920–927.
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.sbspro.2012.08.093

Wahi, N., Mohamad Zin, R., Munikanan, V., Mohamad, I., & Junaini, S. (2018). Problems
and Issues of High Rise Low Cost Housing in Malaysia. IOP Conference Series:
Materials Science and Engineering, 341(1).
https://doi.org/10.1088/1757-899X/341/1/012027