1 Housing obsolescence in practice; towards a management tool

Obsolescence, broadly defined as a process of declining performance resulting in the end of the service life, is a serious threat for built property. This is even more the case in present times of reduced investment budgets and relatively small numbers of new-built homes, which increase the relative importance of the existing housing stock. Knowledge about the prevention, the diagnosis and the treatment of obsolescence is therefore of growing importance. In previous research publications we combined the available knowledge about obsolescence in a conceptual model for further research and for appliance in asset management decision-making, tested the model in a series of varied case studies and combined the findings with an inventory of tools to detect and measure different kinds of obsolescence. As the next step in our research, we tested the application of the model in the practice of Dutch housing associations in different housing market conditions. Based on interviews with the management and combining the available management data in the model we try to answer the question to what extent the model can be useful to detect, identify and measure obsolescence. This paper describes the case studies, the way the model was applied, the findings and the outcomes and concludes with answering the research question and the perspective for further research. Keywords