Better living from housing renovation? The perspective of tenants in Sweden

Paper in proceeding, 2024

This paper explores the impact of the outcomes of housing renovation on the experienced quality of life among tenants in municipally owned housing. The paper is based on extensive empirical data from renovations conducted across three municipally owned companies in Göteborg, the second-largest city in Sweden, between 2018 and 2021. This includes all renovation projects (n=42) carried out by the companies during the study period affecting 6,339 rental apartments. The renovation projects varied in approach and ambitions regarding energy efficiency, some are extensive all-at-once renovations while others are incremental or stepwise renovations. The paper integrates results from interviews with 187 tenants who decided to relocate after the renovations, and 405 filled-in questionnaires from tenants who either stayed or moved in after the renovation. Findings show that tenants are divided, while some tenants are satisfied with the results of the renovation, there is also widespread dissatisfaction. Respondents to the questionnaire are mainly satisfied while among the interviewees there are almost as many that give positive and negative comments, or both. Positive comments concern a general satisfaction with the refreshed standards but also improved indoor comfort. What the tenants are dissatisfied with is linked to the functionality and the floorplan after the renovation, the indoor comfort, the quality of materials and appliances as well as the craftsmanship and execution of the renovation. For 19 tenants, the dissatisfaction was a motivation to relocate after the renovation. Several of the negative experiences of the outcomes can be traced back to energy-saving measures, for example, losing apartment space to new installations, dissatisfaction with indoor comfort, the experience of overheating in summer but also the functionality of low-flowing taps. The study also shows that tenants lack information about energy issues and may resist measures that compromise their comfort. The study wants to highlight that insufficient attention has so far been given to the potential adverse impact on people’s quality of life following a renovation. Tenants are especially vulnerable in housing renovation as they have little possibility to influence decision-making. Furthermore, they are not sufficiently informed about their role in the energy transition. The study calls for more holistic studies on housing renovation that look at the intersection between energy savings, social welfare, and quality of life of people, with special attention to the vulnerable situation of residents in tenanted housing.