Statistical analysis on Belgian building defects

The lack of systematization in the collection of building defects leads to a wide range of data that is not used to its full potential. Unfortunately, this opportunity is missed since lessons could be drawn from analyzing this data by systematically mapping and investigating building defects. This paper presents the results of a statistical analysis on 27074 cases of building defects provided by a Belgian insurance company, ranging from 1991 up to 2019. This analysis focuses on the types of damage, the occurrence in relation to the construction time and the typology of the claims. Spearman correlation tests, X² tests, and Kruskal-Wallis tests are performed to assess the significance of correlations. Moisture problems constitute 49% of all technical defects, followed by structural issues (19%), and cracking (17%). Within the category of moisture problems, the roof is the dominant location for problems to occur, followed by basements, façades, windows, and rising damp. 50% of the judicial cases were closed after 3 years, whereas cases without lawsuit are typically settled after 1-2 years