Regular home maintenance is critical to preventing a loss in home value, and unaddressed housing repairs can lead to serious negative implications for household members’ health and safety. To better understand repair needs in Houston and Harris County, the Kinder Institute surveyed more than 5,300 area residents in summer 2023 about the condition of their homes and neighborhoods.
Key findings
- More than 60% of Harris County residents reported needing one or more housing repairs in the past year.
- Mechanical needs (e.g., broken air conditioning or heating system, hot water not running, burst pipes) were more common than structural needs (e.g., broken locks, broken doors or windows, leaking ceilings or roofs, or flood or water damage).
- Residents who see their neighborhood as “alive and thriving” had fewer housing repair needs.
- Residents who believe their neighborhood is getting worse reported more housing repair needs.
- Prevalence of housing repair needs differed depending on the neighborhood area where residents lived.
